The Seven
by silverivy13
Summary: The Battle Lovers are back, with new friends, new foes, and new powers! But are they prepared to face this new threat? Especially when the targets are themselves? -T for violence and language; Io/Ryuu and En/Atsushi-
1. Love Returns!

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone! So I just finished Cute High Earth Defend Love Club and I loved it. Obviously. However, I was thinking about how the series would go if it took a more serious turn and this was the product of that! So this story is set a few months after the main events of the anime. It's more serious and darker than the anime, but no one is gonna die or anything, so not that dark. I tried to retain their personalities but it's hard to apply them to situations they'd likely never face, even if there's a second season in another year.

I'd love to hear what you think of the story! It was fun to write the first chapter! I'll try to update quickly too! Pleae enjoy!

Disclaimer- I don't own these beautiful boys. T^T

* * *

**Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-Bu Love!: The Seven**

**Episode 1: Love Returns!**

* * *

Ryuu yawned as he strolled through the school's gates again. Yet another boring day at Binan High School. It had been three months since the events with Zundar and Hireashi and since then, the five boys had gone back to their normal lives. Sure, they still met everyday after school in the Earth Defense Club room and Wom-san still hadn't returned to his planet. They still went to the Kurotama Baths everyday and they still got into trouble because of Yumoto's crazy plans. But things had changed. The student council had stopped trying the shut down their club. They had stopped having to fight monsters. The last time they had transformed was back during the last battle with Hireashi and Zundar. Their lives had gone back to normal.

And Ryuu couldn't help but be bored. He found himself missing the excitement of the battles and the excessive costume that had looked so damn good on him. He missed being a superhero. Not that he'd ever tell anyone that, though.

"Ryuu-chan!" A voice from behind him made him stop. "Wait up!" Looking behind him, he saw Yumoto running over to him. His hands waving frantically, cheeks flushed pink from exertion.

"What's up?" He asked, giving him an odd look. "You late too?"

"No, no! Have you seen Wom-san somewhere?"

"I just got to school. So no."

"Awwww!" He crossed his arms in a pout. "Why does he always run away? He always looks like he enjoys my cuddles! Right, Ryuu-chan?"

"Don't ask me. I don't actually watch that. The only open displays of affection I show are towards girls."

"Okay. If you see Wom-san, tell me!" And just like that, Yumoto was gone as quickly as he'd come, speeding off in the opposite direction. Watching him go, Ryuu sighed before turning back towards the school- and almost stepping on Wom-san. Stumbling backwards, he barely managed to keep his balance and he glared at the pink wombat.

"Wom-san," he said. "If you're there, say something. Or you'll turn into wombat pancake."

"I had no choice. I had to hide from that monster." The wombat falls into pace beside Ryuu. "Late again, are we? That's not very good for your studies."

"I'm only missing math. That's my least favorite subject anyway. Besides, Io can catch me up. He's a better teacher than our sensei."

"No, no, you're missing the point. School is all about bettering yourself in social and educational aspects. It is a place to cultivate the love of friendship and the relationships between teacher-student and student-student. A good education leads to more education which leads to more relationships and more love worldwide."

"Not another of these love-speeches, Wom-san. We're not superheroes anymore, remember? We won. Why are you even still here?"

"I wanted to learn more about this planet. Earth is very fascinating."

"Great." He said sarcastically. "Well, I gotta go to class. You should probably run."

"Why is that?"

"Yumoto is coming back."

"WHAT?!" Swirling to look behind him, the wombat shivers at the look in the blonde boy's eyes and takes off at the speed of light.

"Ryuu-chaaaaan!" Yumoto cries as he runs past him. "Why'd you have to tell him?"

Watching the two go, he shakes his head. "Nice to someone hasn't changed."

…

"G'morning." Ryuu says, strolling into the classroom. A few of the students glance at him as their teacher turns from the chalkboard to look at him.

"You're late, Zaou-kun. Again. What is it this time?"

"Sorry, Kawagi-sensei. I overslept." Stifling a groan, the teacher sighs.

"I'd like to speak with you about this. Stay after class today."

"Fine." Making his way to his seat, he plops down in his desk, head resting on his arms. Realizing someone is staring at him, he opens his eyes to meet Io's steady gaze. His light gray eyes are round with concern and confusion.

"You've been oversleeping a lot lately. Are you sure you're okay?" His voice is whispered to not attract attention, but Ryuu can still hear the commanding tone, telling him to answer him. Deciding to ignore it, he shrugs his shoulders.

"M'fine." He replies, turning to look the other way. He hears Io's breath sharpen and tries not to think about the hurt look he probably has on his face. Trying again, Io continues.

"Kawagi-sensei is going to get really upset one of these days. I don't want you to get in trouble. Do you want me to start waking you up? We could walk to school together again like we used to."

"Doesn't matter."

"It does. You can't keep being late and ditching classes. You'll get held back a year. What's wrong with you lately? If something's really going on, you know you can talk to me about anything. I'm just-"

"God, shut up!" He cries. "I said I'm fine!" He stops, realizing he was shouting. As he looks around, everyone is staring at him, confused. As his eyes flick back to Io, he cringes at the hurt look on his face. Ripping his gaze away, he turns to the teacher.

"Sensei, I don't feel good. I'm going to the nurse."

With that, he leaves the room, ignoring Io's cry of "Ryuu!" behind him.

As he walks down the hall, he mentally kicks himself.

"Idiot!" He mutters under his breath. "I'm such an idiot! He was just worried about me." He stops, glancing out the window. Before him lies their town, sitting peacefully in the bright sunlight of morning. The mountain beyond that hides the ocean from his view. It's a quiet scene. Far from three months ago, when monsters continually appeared, threatening the town's peaceful lives. He smiles despite himself, remembering all the adventures he had with his friends.

"I guess I better just give up. It's probably for the best that everything's peaceful now."

…

Ryuu had almost fallen asleep when he heard the door quietly slide open. He was about to sit up when he heard the hesitant voice that belonged to the stranger.

"Ryuu?" Io's quiet voice cut through the blissful silence he was surrounded by just a few moments ago. Stiffening, he forced himself to lay still on the cot, body facing the wall, away from Io, acting like he was asleep. Listening to the soft footsteps, he heard the curtain rustle, and felt the bed shift. As he realized Io had sat down next to him, his heart sped up.

"I don't know if you're actually asleep or not but if you want to act that way then fine." Ryuu couldn't tell if Io was upset or angry or both. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm worried. You've been acting really weird lately. You've been distant, cold even. I don't like that. It's fine if it's just towards me, I can deal with that. But you've even been causing Yumoto and the senpais to worry. You can't keep acting like this. You'll be an adult soon. And besides, I like you better when you're happy. Stop behaving like this and go back to being the happy-go-lucky, woman-loving Ryuu that I know. That's all I wanted to say."

As Io got up and left the nurse's office, Ryuu remained laying on the bed. He hadn't been able to find a good time to say something and had opted to just lay there in silence, listening to Io's speech. It had left him feeling conflicted and, more than that, guilty. He hadn't meant to worry anyone and he really didn't think he was acting any different. But if even Yumoto had noticed something was up, then clearly his acting skills left something to be desired. At this point, he realized all he could do was just apologize and move on. Not wanting to fight with Io anymore, he decided to go back to the classroom and make up.

But first, a little nap wouldn't hurt anything.

…

His eyes opened just as the school bell finished chiming. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes, letting out a wide yawn. Moving the curtain aside, the nurse looked over at him.

"You feeling any better, Zaou-kun?" The school's nurse, Miyuki, was famous for thinking that everything could be cured with a nap. Stomach ache? Take a nap. Cough? Take a nap. A cold? Take a nap. Cancer? Take a nap (okay maybe that last one wasn't quite true, but you get the idea). Almost all the students used this as a way to ditch any classes they hated or avoid going to school and Ryuu was no different.

"What time is it, Miyuki-sensei?"

Glancing at the clock, the teacher replied "School just ended."

"What?!" Grabbing his bag, Ryuu leaped out of the bed and flew out the door, a cry of "Thanks, sensei!" echoing behind him.

As he ran down the hallway, he cursed under his breath. The Earth Defense Club wasn't meeting today, so he had to try to catch Io before he left school. As he pushed his way through the throngs of students evacuating the school, his thoughts were preoccupied of just what exactly he'd say to Io. Deciding that a simple "I'm sorry" was the best option, he finally reached his classroom and opened the door, practically smacking into his teacher.

"Zaou-kun?"

"Ah, sorry, sensei, is Io in there?"

"Naruki-kun? He left already."

"Crap! Thanks!" He's about to run away again, when the teacher grabs his collar.

"And where do you think you're going? I told you I wanted to talk to you after class."

"Can't we do this another day? I really have to talk to Io!"

"No, we can't. That's what you told me yesterday and the day before that and so on." Pulling Ryuu into the room and closing the door, the teacher turns to look at him. "Zaou-kun, is something wrong? You've been very strange recently."

"What? How do you know?"

"A teacher is very perceptive. Does this have anything to do with why you're looking Naruki-kun?" Glancing cautiously at the teacher, Ryuu sighs before settling down on top of one of the desks.

"We kinda had a fight. I don't know, I just realized that my life is really mediocre and boring. It's just another dull existence and that's kinda hurt my perspective on the world. Io noticed something was wrong and I didn't want to talk to him about it and wound up blowing up at him instead. I messed up."

"Well all friend's have fights at times. What's important is you move past it. Now then, as for the dull part. What made you realize that?"

"I-I can't really tell you that." Ryuu says, looking away uncomfortably.

"I know you're famous for having lots of girlfriends. Did one of them say something?"

"No."

"Did one of your friends say or do something?"

"No."

"Are you jealous of a celebrity?"

"No."

"Is it because you're no longer a superhero?"

"Yea- what?" Looking up, Ryuu jumps back, falling off the desk he was sitting on. Kawagi had moved to standing directly in front of him, almost face-to-face with him. A knowing and cruel smirk lights up the young teacher's face. His eyes are narrowed, glaring holes at him.

"H-how did you know that?" he asks, forcing his voice to remain steady as he stands up, backing away.

"Like I said, teachers are very perceptive."

"But you weren't even a teacher here. You started… three months ago..." Kawagi smiles as he watches Ryuu skirt around the classroom, moving steadily towards the door of the classroom, keeping a few desks in between them. "There's no way you could've known… And now that I think about it, I never heard why the teacher before you stopped teaching. You just sort of... appeared. At this school. For this class. Kawagi-sensei, what exactly…" His voice trails off as his eyes widen in horror.

"Looks like you've figured it out." The normally soft, happy voice has lowered to a guttural, disturbing sound. The man's body is twisting and distorting, as if someone or something is trying to break out of his skin. Giant tentacle-things erupt from the man's back, and all at once, the skin literally melts away from his body into a puddle of red and peach colored goo, revealing a disgustingly large black creature. Veins filled with some purple-colored blood pulse through it's body, glowing brightly, flooding the classroom with a strange violet glow. The thing looks like some kind of abomination, a demon or a devil. A stench of rot fills the classroom and Ryuu gags, bolting for the door. Grabbing it, he yanks on the handle, only to find it locked.

As the thing slinks closer to him, it lets out some kind of gravelly ticking noise. As a shiver runs down his spine, he realizes it's laughing. Turning around, he sees the glowing violet eyes are focused directly on him. He opens his mouth to scream, but no sound comes out. As the monster draws closer, Ryuu grabs the nearest desk next to him and throws it with all strength. It collides with the pulsating black mess before slowly getting drawn inside of it, the black goop covering it and absorbing the desk. There's a slight rumble before the same desk is propelled out of it's body and at Ryuu. Diving to the ground, it slams into the wall where he had been standing, leaving a huge crack and indentation where it connected. Staring at the cracks running through the classroom, he hears that laugh again and looks back.

"So this is Battle Lover Vesta? They told me you were much stronger than this."

"I can't even transform anymore! Give me a break!" He replies, his voice quavering. "What even are you?! What the hell is going on?!"

Both their attentions are drawn when a fist is heard pounding on the door. "Ryuu?!" A voice yells. "Ryuu are you in there?!"

"Io!" he mutters. Scrambling to his feet, he darts to the door. "Io! Io, it's me-" His voice is cut off as the tentacles wrap around his throat, squeezing the air out of it. Grabbing at the black things, he desperately tries to rip them away as he feels himself lifted into the air and spun around to dangle in front of the monster.

"I can't have you doing that. We need to dispose of you five one at a time, after all. Avarice-sama will have my head otherwise."

"What… head." Ryuu gasps. "I just see disgusting… slime." He smirks as he sees the monster's eyes narrow and knows he got to him.

"Brat!" It yells. "I'll kill you!" The tentacle tightens, closing off any airway it had left open. Ryuu's eyes widen and his attempts to free himself grow more frantic. Black spots cross his vision, his eyes tearing up. His lungs are burning by now, screaming for air they just couldn't quite get. Just as his arms fell to his sides, a large boom echoes throughout the room as the door flies off it hinges, smashing into the wall opposite it. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ryuu can see four figures standing in the doorway.

"You, who befoul our beloved earth!"

"Live for love, die for love!"

"Love is all!"

"We are the heirs to the throne of love! Feel the power!"

"Of love!"

Recognizing the all-too-familiar battle cry, Ryuu relaxes in relief. However, the monster is one too happy about being disturbed.

"Let go of Ryuu!" That's Io's voice."Or you'll be wishing I'd just kill you!"

Growling, the monster rears back, wrenching the tentacle holding Ryuu back before cracking it forward like a whip, sending Ryuu flying towards the windows. As the glass smashes open from his weight, he hears the cries of his friends above him as he plummets towards the school grounds. However before he can hit the ground, he feels arms around him, just as they hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Are you okay?" He looks up to see Io's concerned eyes staring at him and he realizes he must have caught him.

"Io-" He breaks off, coughing as his lungs finally fill with air. Holding the tender skin that he knows will probably have a nasty bruise tomorrow, he offers a weak smile at his friend. "Sorry." Io's eyes widen before creasing with relief. The arms holding him tighten their hold as Io pulls him into a hug

"Idiot. You don't have to say that. I thought you were…" His voice trails off.

"Now who's the idiot? Ore-sama can never die. Not before you at least." The two look at each other and smile as the other three jump down next to them. They stand up, Io's arm under Ryuu's arms, supporting him.

"Where's that… thing?" Io asks.

"It disappeared." Yufuin answered.

"What?"

"Yup. It said it'd be back later and went poof and disappeared! It was really cool!"

"You're the only one who could find that coo, Yumoto." Kinugawa shook his head. "Anyway, just what was that?"

"That was Kawagi-sensei." Ryuu replied.

"What?!" Four voices cry in perfect unison, and Ryuu laughs before coughing again, rubbing his sore neck.

"Yeah. He wanted to talk to me after class and when he did, he said he knew about the Battle Lovers and us and turned into… that. Apparently he has orders to kill us. And he mentioned someone called Avarice. Wait, how can you guys transform again?"

"With these." Yufuin replied, pulling a necklace out from under his clothes. A small light blue crystal heart hangs from a chain around his neck. "We each have one. Wom-san said to give you this one." He handed him the same necklace except with a violet crystal instead of blue.

"Avarice…" Everyone looks at Io. "That's a way to refer to someone who's very greedy. It basically means the same thing."

"That doesn't explain why they want to kill us though." Yufuin says.

"And who is they anyway?" Ryuu wonders. "Because he did saw 'we'."

"Is it some new kind of threat? Do you think it's another reality show?"

"No."

"Wom-san!" The pink wombat had waddled up to them, out of breath.

"Intergalactic TV shows are forbidden to use monsters or any alien technology to control people to kill any life forms. It goes against the law. This can't be a TV show."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know, but one thing's clear. Some new kind of threat has appeared. You boys need to be careful. Are you prepared to save the world again?" The five exchange glances before smiling.

"You don't need to ask us that." Ryuu says with a grin. "Of course we are!"


	2. Love is Meant to be Shared

**Author's Note: **I'm back! Here it is, the much-awaited episode 2! I updated this fairly quickly for me. It's longer than the last chapter, I got really into it. Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! I appreciate the support! Please enjoy episode 2!

Disclaimer- I don't own these beautiful boys. T^T

* * *

**Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-Bu Love!: The Seven**

**Episode 2: Love is Meant to be Shared**

* * *

"You're brimming with confidence, as usual." Io says, falling into step beside Ryuu. "You do realize that thing almost killed you, right?"

"Oh come on, that was just because I couldn't transform. I would've kicked it's ass if I could, and you know it!"

"All I know is that you're acting like yourself again." Ryuu stops in shock, glancing over at his friend. Io's kind smile makes him flinch, and, for a while, it's silent, the only sounds being the wind blowing through the trees overhead, the sunlight dappled through the branches illuminating the sidewalk in front of them.

"About that-"

"It's fine." Io cuts him off before he can continue. "If you don't want to talk about, then I won't make you. Sorry for calling you out in class." Ryuu just stares at him for a moment before replying.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I was the one who messed up. Now that things are like this, it's probably better I _do_ tell you. I was, in a way, kind of missing it."

"Missing what?"

"Transforming. You know, fighting for justice, saving the world, the costumes, the action."

"The thrill?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth. And besides, that costume looked really good on me, and you know it!"

"Better on you than me."

"What're you talking about, you looked great too!"

"Oh?"

"Just not as good as me."

"Why am I not surprised." Io laughs, placing a hand on Ryuu's shoulder. "I'm just glad you're back to normal. An energetic Ryuu is the only Ryuu I need."

"And I only need the level-headed Io. You make up for my…. my…"

"Recklessness? Irresponsibility? Foolhardiness? Hotheaded temper? Idiocy?"

"Okay, okay, enough! You know what I'm trying to say! And here I was giving you a compliment too! You're mean, Io!" Ryuu pouts, skipping a few steps ahead, looking back to flash a grin at his friend.

"I'm only speaking the truth." Io sighs, shaking his head. "You know you're too reckless for your own good. That's what got you into trouble in the first place. Anyway, I see where you're coming from. We make up for each others flaws, right?"

"Right! And that's why we're a pair!"

And if Ryuu has chosen to turn around in that very moment, he would have seen the soft blush creeping slowly up Io's cheeks.

"Right. A pair."

…

_Beep. Beep. Beep _The alarm clock's noisy ringing woke Ryuu with a start. Blinking sleep from his bleary eyes, he made a half-hearted attempt to find the button to turn it off, only to give up and yank the cord from the socket. As the bird chirps, he groans, rolling onto his side, head buried in the pillow, trying, and failing, to block the sunlight filtering through his curtains.

"I'm all sore." He complained, finally sitting up. "My back hurts where I hit that glass yesterday." He stretched as his mother's voice sounded from downstairs, telling him to get out of bed. Yelling a reply, he started wandering around his room, trying the find the school uniform he had just tossed on the ground the night before.

Walking into the bathroom, the first thing he does is shriek. Well, almost. He had managed to clamp a hand over his mouth first, before his parents heard and saw the sight awaiting him in the mirror. His assumption of a bruised neck had been a bit of an understatement. Large black-and-purple bruises circle around his neck in a perfect ring.

"How the hell am I gonna cover that up? Does my mom even have enough concealer for that?"

"Ryuu!" A voice calls from the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah, I know mom, just a sec! Geez!"

"Don't talk to your mother like that!" She calls back, and he can hear her continue in a softer voice to someone else. A boy that sounds suspiciously familiar answers back, and he can hear footsteps trotting up the stairs.

"Hey, I got- Eesh." Io breaks off, plastic bag in hand, when he sees the bruising around Ryuu's neck.

"I know. How am I supposed to hide this, really. Couldn't he have grabbed some place else? Like my torso. That would've worked. We don't have gym today."

"Well, no need to worry about that anymore. I figured you'd be unprepared, so," he pauses, removing the contents from the bag. "-I got you this." He holds up a small vat of concealer and a few swabs to apply it.

"Io, you're a lifesaver! My mom and I are different skin tones, so it never would have worked. I can't wear Creamy Beige, I'm a Vanilla!"

"I'm not even going to ask why you know what color of -"

"Shade."

"What?"

"It's a shade, not a color."

"Fine. What _shade_ concealer you wear. And wouldn't you be more worried about the fact that, oh, I don't know, your mom would wonder why she was suddenly missing five of her concealer compacts?"

"Oh. Yeah, that too."

"Anyway, I also had the clerk lady explain to me how to put it on. Hold your hair back, so I can -"

"Wait! The concealer, is it -"

"Yes, it's hypo-allergenic."

"You know me so well!"

"I know. Now hold still." Ryuu does his best to obey, but he can't help flinching at the feel of the cool cream smoothing over his bruised skin.

"Sorry, I'm trying to be gentle."

"It's fine. I know. And anyway, I'm worrying about something else. That stupid monster, how am I gonna get a date now while I have to worry about whether or not I have enough makeup or whether or not it's smeared or - Ow!" Ryu pulls away, grabbing his neck, hissing at the sudden touch and yanking his hand away. "That hurt!"

"Sorry." Io replied. "I guess I pushed a little too hard. I'll be more careful, let me finish. You smeared it when you grabbed your neck."

"What it rubs that easily?" He complains, moving back in front of Io, pulling his bright pink hair into the same ponytail he always wears, messing with the stray hairs.

"It wasn't dry. And as for your girl situation, you shouldn't play around so much anyway. You're going to regret it one day. Who knows, this could be a good thing."

"There you again, mommy Io. You know I only date one girl at a time."

"That doesn't stop you from flirting with another twenty."

"Okay, okay." Ryuu laughs as Io pulls away, moving to wash the makeup off his hands. "I guess I get what you're saying. Fine, I won't go out until my neck heals okay? And I'll try to keep flirting to a minimum."

"See that you do"

Ryuu skips out of the bathroom in a good mood. Io can hear him begging his mom for food even though he already missed breakfast. As the sink water washes over his hand, he sighs looking in the mirror.

"One girl at a time, huh?"

…

When Io and Ryuu had first gotten to school, they had met up with Yumoto, Yufuin, and Atsushi. The five had talked briefly about their plan of attack with the monsters, ultimately deciding to just wait for them to come to them.

"_They're after us, right?" Atsushi said. "Then they'll come looking. Until another one appears, we have to act normal and just wait."_

He had made a good point, and although Yumoto and Ryuu had wanted to get straight to the butt-kicking, they had thankfully been outvoted by the other three. They had gone their separate ways then, Io and Ryuu heading to their classroom. However, when they got there, there was the very same teacher who had transformed into a bloodthirsty monster the day before. The young man has looked up, smiling at the two shocked students.

"Zaou-kun, I see you're on time today. Let's try to keep this habit, shall we?"

"Uh, y-yes." Ryuu couldn't help but start to tremble at the sound of the voice belonging to the person that had almost killed him.

"Um," Io stepped in front of him, noticing his fear. "Do you remember your talk with Ryuu yesterday, sensei?"

"Yesterday? Let me think… No, I can't say that I do. Funny, I can't seem to remember anything right after the bell had rung ending school. Why? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all. You just… gave Ryuu some good advice and he wanted to thank you. Right, Ryuu?"

"Y-yeah. Thanks, sensei."

"Ah, you're welcome. I don't really remember though…"

"That's fine. Come on, let's go." Ryuu let his friend lead him to his desk, where he practically collapsed in his seat.

"Thanks, man." He says, smiling weakly up at Io. "I guess part of me is still a little freaked out from yesterday."

"That's not surprising. Anyway, it seems like it's the same case as back with the Loveless. It seems as though he has no memory since after he got possessed."

"I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or bad. Now I have to sit and act like everything's normal."

"Well, that shouldn't be so hard."

"And why is that?"

"We're magical boys again. For us, that's normal. Right?"

"...Right."

...

Io had been right. After the initial shock of entering the classroom this morning, Ryuu had promptly gone to sleep in favor of listening to the lecture of ancient history. It had been easier slipping into normal than he had thought. Before he knew it, the lunch bell was ringing.

"Ugh, finally! Class was so boring."

"You were asleep literally the whole class period."

"I know. It was so boring, it put me right to sleep."

"Your logic has something to be desired."

"Doesn't it always?"

"Good point. Now then, let's go find Yumoto and the others."

"Why?"

"We need to tell them that sensei doesn't remember. I'd say that's pretty important information, wouldn't you?"

"I guess." As they turned the corner, Ryuu walked smack into a familiar face. His light brown eyes narrowed as they met the icy stare of the two blue orbs glaring back at him.

"Gero."

"Zaou. What are _you _doing here."

"Walking. You don't own this school."

"Sadly, I know. If I did, unbeautiful creatures like yourself would be kicked out immediately."

"Why you-"

"Now, now, you two." Io says, stepping between the two before their at each others throats. "There isn't any reason to be fighting right now. And actually, Gero-san, I'm glad we ran into you."

"Someone took that a bit too literally." He scoffed, flipping his pale pink hair. "What is it."

"The other day, Ryuu was attacked by a new kind of monster."

"A new kind of monster? Attacked _him_? Too bad it didn't finish you off." He snickered, but stopped when Io almost immediately replied.

"It almost did." Gero's light blue eyes widen with shock as they turn to gaze at Ryuu.

"Really?"

Pointing to his neck, Ryuu said "I'm wearing concealer. It's bruised pretty badly."

"...You're lying."

"I wish we were."

"No, no, you must be. Actual monsters don't exist. Everything that happened three months ago was for a tv show, it was alien stuff, not really real. Monsters can't be real."

"Ooooh is someone scared?" Ryuu teased. "For a guy, you're surprisingly squeamish."

"Shut up!" Gero snapped back. "I don't believe in things I haven't seen with my own eyes. Especially not hideously unbeautiful things like monsters. Think up a better story if you want me to believe you." With one last hair flip, he stalked away.

"At least keep it in mind!" Io called after him. Feeling a hand on his shoulder he looked back to see Ryuu glaring in the direction Gero had walked off.

"A guy like that, we shouldn't be worrying about him. Besides, it's the Defense Club those guys are after, not the Conquest guys. He'll be fine."

"...Alright. I guess you're right. Well, let's go find everyone."

…

"So you're saying the circumstances are exactly like before?" Yufuin asks slowly, trying to make sense of what the two juniors has just told them.

"Well not exactly, but -"

"No, wait. Thank about it." Atsushi interrupted, speaking quietly, almost to himself. "If they turn into monsters like that, and have no memory of doing it, then they, themselves, weren't conscious during that time, right? That means, if they couldn't control themselves, then someone else had to have been. Which means, there are people out there who are using the ones close to us to attack."

"With the Conquest Club, they didn't actually try to do that though. They didn't use anyone directly related to us, just people we kind of knew or people who went to our school. But this seems more malicious." Yufuin adds.

"Well duh." Ryuu cuts in. "They did say they want to kill us. If that isn't malicious, then I don't know what is."

"Yeah, but it's different." Io mutters, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "By using people close to us, they're trying to get us to halt our attack. They're trying to mess with our heads."

"...That's scary." Yumoto's small voice speaks up. He had been so quiet, it was like he wasn't even there. The small boy had an upset look on his face, hugging his knees to his chest. "If anyone hurts Gora-nii, I'd..."

"Now, now, Yumoto." Atsushi says, smiling as he bends down to pat the smaller boy on the head. "I'm sure your brother will be fine."

"Yeah. You're right. Ooooh I just wanna go beat them right now! I can't forgive them for hurting Ryuu-chan! And for threatening us!" Now that the blonde boy was acting more like himself, they could turn back to the discussion at hand.

"Since lunch break is almost over, I'll keep this short." Atsushi says. "We know a few things for sure. One, the people are being controlled by an outside source. Two, they can be anyone, even one of us maybe. Three, they're dangerous. So, everyone, try to be sure that there's at least two other people with you at all times at school and around town. We can't drop our guard all the way at home either. With that said, the chances of them knowing our families are slim."

"Why's that?"

"Think about it. If they knew us, they could have picked someone closer to us, like one of our friends or relatives, but instead they chose a teacher. That must mean they're unsure of our relationships as of the moment, so they chose someone who they knew would have correspondence with us."

"Oh, I get it!" Ryuu says. "That makes sense."

"Alright!" Yumoto exclaims, jumping to his feet and clapping his hands. "Now that that's sorted out, be safe everybody! Battle Lovers, out!" He strikes a pose as the others laugh.

"Still the same Yumoto."

"Of course! Alright, I'll see everyone at the club room later then! Byebye~!" And he skips off as the bell rings, leaving the others to make a mad dash for their classrooms.

…

Ryuu stifles a long drawn out sigh as the teacher continues to drone on about chemical properties and endothermic reactions. He hears Io snicker and shoots him a glare.

"Shut up! You know I'm bored!" He hisses under his breath.

"If you'd listen, you might find it interesting."

"I haven't listened all year, why start now." Shrugging in hopeless sort of gesture, Io turns back to the chalkboard, while Ryuu's gaze shifts to the field below.

He watched as another class of second years filed onto the playing field in their gym uniforms. Smirking at a familiar face, he chuckles.

"That's one thing you can't make beautiful, no matter how you try, Gero."

The boys divide into two groups and begin to play soccer, kicking the ball back and forth. Gero stands off to the side, desperately trying to avoid any and all contact with any of the sweaty boys, the mud-covered balls, or the rusting goals. It's entertaining, more so than the chemistry lesson, so Ryuu watches him fail to stay clean. As Gero yells at someone for touching his hair, he sees the other boy laugh, quickly surrounding the pink-haired teen, pulling at his curly locks.

"So even the priss king can make friends." However, out of the corner of Ryuu's eye, he sees another boy standing to the side. His messy black hair falls around his face, thin brown eyes boring holes into Gero. The boy looks much too pale, his fists clench tight. And then his eyes flash violet.

Ryuu instantly shoots up in his seat, his chair squeaking and toppling over. as he stares intently out the window.

"Um… Zaou-kun?" His head turns sharply, only to notice everyone staring at him curiously. His teacher gives him an odd stare. "Is there something the matter?"

Quickly looking back at the soccer field, he sees the boy's eyes have gone back to brown, the violet glow gone.

"N-no. Everything's fine." He mutters, righting his chair and sinking into it, wishing he could disappear as his classmates snicker. Putting his head on his desk, he groans.

"What was that?" Io asked quietly. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"Something like that." He replied. "I thought I saw a-" His voice is broken off as screams drift through the window. Everyone is at the window at once, staring at the giant black monster down on the soccer field.

"-monster." He finishes. Wordlessly, he and Io nod and rush out of the classroom, ignoring their teacher's commands to get under their desks and hide. Feet smack the tile as five sets meet up in the same place.

"Did you see it?" Ryuu asks breathlessly.

"Yeah." Yufuin replies. "Everyone is supposed to be evacuating to the other side of the school, so we should be okay."

"Good. Let's go."

"You, who befoul our beloved earth!"

"No justice can come from loveless power!"

"Live for love, die for love!"

"Love is all!"

"We are the heirs to the throne of love! Feel the power!"

"Of love!"

"We all good?" Four heads shake their agreement.

"Good!" Yumoto replies happily. "Let's go!"

Leaping out the window, the five boys take off towards the soccer fields, reaching it quickly. They arrive to see the monster growling, slowly advancing on a student.

"Hey, isn't that…"

Noticing them, Gero waves frantically.

"Ryuu!" He yells angrily. "Get your ass over here and save me!"

For the millionth time that day, Ryuu groans.

"Do I have to?" A glare from Io tells him the answer. "Fiiiiine."

"We'll distract him while you get Gero, alright? And then we'll defeat him."

"Sounds like a plan."

As the monster spins around just in time to be blasted by Yumoto's Scarlet Lumiere, Ryuu leaps over it quickly and over to Gero. Grabbing the boy, and ignoring his protests to "watch the waist", he jumps into the air again, landing safely away from the monster.

"Believe me now?" He asks dryly. Shooting him an evil glare, Gero sniffs.

"Yes. I do. Bet you're so happy."

"Damn right I am. You were wrong and I was right. Suck it!"

"You little-" Gero's cut off as the two hear cries of alarm and turn to look back.

Atsushi had gotten a little too close to the monster, which now had its tendrils ensnared around his foot, yanking him into the sky. With a yelp, the boy is knocked off his feet, before being spun around in midair and propelled out. At the last minute, Yufuin darts in front of him, taking the brunt of the blow as the two smash into the ground. Immediately, the other three Battle Lovers are there, standing protectively in front of their friends.

"We need to hurry this up, Scarlet!"

"Right! Here I go!" Leaping into the air, Yumoto yells at the top of his lungs "Love Attack!" A beam of red and pink light shoots out of their combined spear, slamming into the monster.

"You shouldn't attack people like that!" He calls over to it. "That's mean and it won't make you any friends in life. Try being nicer. Love Shower!" Rays of pink hearts shower the monster, which begins to bubble and boil. The sight is disturbing, to say the least. Unlike the Loveless, who turned back with a poof, the monster literally melts away, it's blistering skin peeling and boiling as it falls away to reveal the same boy Ryuu had seen earlier, the one who had been glaring at Gero.

"Are you two okay?" Yumoto asks as the three run over to their friends, who are getting up off the small crater they left in the ground.

"I think I might have sprained my ankle slightly when it grabbed me." Atsushi replies, gingerly testing out his foot. "But otherwise yeah. Thanks, En."

"No big deal. I'm more or less fine. A little sore, but yeah."

"Good." They stop, looking at the light pink-haired boy who had walked over to them. Arms folded across his chest, Gero said in a surprisingly serious voice

"Ryuu and Io-san were telling the truth then." He says. "There is a new kind of monster around."

"Yeah. And I guess we can rule out the Conquest Club in the list of suspects."

"Hey!"

"You guys were the ones attacking last time." Atsushi points out. "We couldn't completely count you out just because you helped us at the last minute."

"I guess." Gero replies grudgingly. "By the way, I think you all should hear this. That hideous thing spoke to me. It said something about-" he pauses, swallowing heavily, a look of distress on his face. "-destroying the Conquest Club. And how it was going to kill all of us."

The looks shared between the Battle Lovers were clear. They knew something.

"If you know something, tell me!" Gero said insistently. "It's not just about your five anymore. This involves me and Kinshiro and Arima too now."

"We know." Io speaks for the group. "I think it's time the eight of us had a talk."


	3. Meeting of Love

**Author's Note: **Here it is! Chapter 3! Again, thanks for following, favoriting and reviewing! I think I'm going to try to update weekly, but I'm making no promises, alright? For those of you who PMed me, you're right! The enemies of this story are indeed those! And for those of you still unsure, you'll probably figure it out this chapter! That being said, please continue to support my story! Enjoy episode 3!

Disclaimer- I don't own these beautiful boys. T^T

* * *

**Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-Bu Love!: The Seven**

**Episode 3: Meeting of Love**

* * *

Said talk wasn't actually held until two days later. Both groups had their reserves about meeting with the other. After all, they had been mortal enemies only months ago. The tension between them still hadn't quite blown over yet. Eventually, it was Atsushi who, along with the help of Yufuin, literally dragged the others to the student council room. Well, that wasn't quite right. Only Ryuu had to be dragged.

"I don't wanna!" He cried, fidgeting helplessly as Yufuin walked with him slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "The last thing I wanna do is see that guy's face again!"

"Well would you rather see it scowling but alive, or see it in a coffin?" Ryuu opened his mouth to protest, only to close it again, truly thinking about it.

"That seems a bit much, Yufuin-senpai. The chances of that happening are pretty slim." Io replied, chuckling at Ryuu's serious face.

"Well it's a possibility."

"It's also possible you'll have a stroke and die right now, doesn't mean it'll happen." Ryuu pouted.

"My point was you're going, so shut up about it and I might put you down."

"Oh god, please do! If Gero sees me like this, he'll go on for weeks! Months! Years!"

"He's right. Put him down, En." Atsushi says, turning to smile at them. "Besides, we're already here." As soon as he's on his feet, Ryuu tries to run for it, only for his collar to be yanked back and thrown into the student council room. The looks on the faces of the student council members almost made it worth it. Almost.

The three boys stare at the intruders, looks of disgust plainly expressed. Kinshiro looks like he might puke, a look mirrored with Gero's own. Arima just smiles amusedly, sitting back in his chair to watch the show. As the shock gradually wears off, Kinshiro clears his throat, standing up from his chair, his silver hair brushed behind one ear with a flick of the wrist.

"Can I help you." He hisses quietly, the venom clear in his voice.

"Yes, actually." As Atsushi says this, Kinshiro's gaze flickers over to him, and the disdain is quickly replaced with a flustered look, accented with a slight flush to his cheeks. Completely oblivious to this, the blue-haired boy continued. "I believe we all decided to meet and talk about this new threat, but it became pretty clear that no one was actually going to, so I took matters into my own hands."

Appearing slightly deflated from the fact that Atsushi hadn't come just to see him, Kinshiro sighed, sitting back down in his chair. "I see. Gero did mention something about this… _monster_ that attacked him earlier this week, although he also said it wasn't very important and we needn't dwell on it." Turning his icy gaze on the curly-haired boy, he glared. Gero pointedly looked away. "Is there a reason you didn't tell us anything else?"

"..." Gero glances back at him, a pout on his face. "Does it really matter? _They _can take care of it. Why bother getting into danger when we can let them do all the dirty work?"

"Gero," Arima spoke up, much to the others surprise. "You can't really expect the student council to stand by when the students we work so hard for are in danger? What kind of council would we be?"

"Arima is right." Kinshiro adds. Turning to the four boys, he gestures to the couch in the room as he stand up. "Please. I'd like to hear more about this." As they walk over, Ryuu leans over, whispering in Io's ear.

"Bullshit. He just wants to make Atsushi-senpai happy." Chuckling, Io smiled back at him.

"As long as it works, right?" Nodding, the two sit down on the cushy couch next to each other.

"Whoa! This is so soft!" Ryuu exclaims, bouncing some in his seat. "Why can't we have a couch like this in the Earth Defense Club room?"

"Because you're poor, imbecile." Gero sneers, sitting across from him, next to Arima. "If people like you could afford a couch like this, I wouldn't want to live in this world anymore."

"By all means," Ryuu glares back. "There's certainly nothing stopping-" He breaks off as he receives a swift elbow to the gut from Io. Gero earns a harsh glare from Kinshiro, and he looks down at the floor, pouting, but silent.

"Now then," Kinshiro says crossing his legs, hands interlocked to rest his chin upon. "What's this about new monsters?"

It's Atsushi who speaks. No surprise there, of course. He's the only one Kinshiro would listen to. As he explains the events of the past few days, the student council's expressions quickly morph to ones of shock and disgust.

"To think we had no idea of this…" Kinshiro says quietly, a hint of disturbance in his voice.

"It's not like it's your fault." Ryuu cuts in, lounging back on the couch, waving his hand back and forth in a gesture of forgiveness. "They've only attacked twice anyway. There wasn't much for you to notice."

"Still." Arima replies this time. "I can't believe something like this is happening again. Once was strange enough, but this is even more so… ah! You," he says, turning his maroon gaze to Ryuu. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"It attacked you first, right? They said it-"

"He's fine." Io interjected, noticing Ryuu tense up next to him. "He's just-" He stops when he feels a hand on his shoulder. Looking over at his friend, Ryuu smiles at him.

"It's fine. I'm okay." Turning back to the others. "Yeah, it took the form of our-" he gestures to himself and Io "-homeroom teacher. It knew who I was and it seemed to know about the others as well. It may seem disturbing, but you haven't seen anything until it transforms right in front of you. That was probably the scariest part."

"Ryuu, you really don't-" Atsushi starts, before Ryuu cuts him off.

"I said, I'm fine. Besides, it's better I tell this part of the story, right? I am the one who saw it all. Your version was too short anyway. As I was saying, that transformation is really gross. It's like it's skin melts away into these sickening puddles and the blood vessels turn violet and glow and the muscles underneath are black, solid black. You can barely tell the head from the rest of it, it's like a blob thing."

"A blob thing? Really?"

"Shut up, Gero! It's my story! Anyway, after I got over the shock of seeing that, obviously I tried to escape, but the door was locked."

"The classroom doors only lock from the inside though, you should have been able to get out." Arima says thoughtfully.

"I know, but it was like it was stuck. Probably something that thing could do. I avoided it as long as I could, it was surprisingly fast. But I got distracted when I heard Io on the other side of the door. It grabbed me, and, well Atsushi-senpai told you the rest."

"...is your neck okay?" Kinshiro asks quietly.

Shocked at the student council president, of all people, asking him that, he manages a nod. "Yeah, it's fine. Bruise is almost gone."

"Good. Now, I understand this is serious. Even we weren't aiming to kill you five, and I can't let anything hurt the students of this school. I am the president. However, I fail to see what this has to do with us three. It's after you all, right?"

"Um…" Gero mutters quietly, looking away from the president as his emerald-gaze whips around to look at him. "That's not quite all the story."

"Oh come on!" Ryuu cries. "You didn't even tell them the most important part of the story! Involves you my ass, you just wanted to know what was going on! What if you guys got attacked or something! Do you even use that brain? Do you even have one?"

"That's my line! What kind of dumbass get's distracted during a battle! You!"

"That's completely different, and you know it!"

"Oh, is it? I beg to-"

"ENOUGH!" Kinshiro yells, slamming his hands on the coffee table in front of them. "I will not tolerate this childish bickering any longer! If you must continue, do so outside of this room and leave the talking to the adults! Otherwise, you will act your age!" Gero nods hurriedly in agreement, an embarrassed blush creeping up his cheeks. Ryuu simply huffs and looks away, but mutters an agreement. Sitting back down, the student council president smooths his pants before crossing his legs again and fixing a few stray strands of hair.

"Now then," he says, ignoring the shocked faces of the other people present. Clearly, no one thought it possible for the stone-faced student council president to blow up so easily. "Gero, please relay the events of a few days ago to us, in your point of view."

"Fine," He sighed. "It started when we were all outside for gym, playing soccer…"

…

"_Watch the hair!" Gero cried, shying away from the flying soccer ball for the hundredth time. "I told you, leave me out of this game! It's for commoners, not me!"_

"_Oh, come on, Gero-kun! Lighten up a bit! It's not like we're trying to get you dirty!" One of his classmates runs over to him, slapping him on the back so hard that he jolts forwards, having to catch himself._

"_Again, watch. The. Hair." He hisses, quietly seething._

"_Hair? You mean this?" Another boy runs over, pulling one of the springy curls. "You sure it's not a wig? It's awfully long for a guy's hair!"_

"_If you'll excuse yourself," Gero swats their hands away. "This is the product of years of intensive care, brushing, and conditioning. It is most certainly my real hair."_

"_Aw, we know that, we're just playing! Kind of like what you should be doing with the soccer ball!" His classmates have surrounded him by now, all smiling and laughing, happy to tease the prissy rich boy some._

"_Like, I said, that sport is for-" He's broken off as a scream startles the group out of their fun. Heads turn to see a writhing black monster by the corner of the school twist and morph and grow larger and larger. The students scatter, running as fast as they can to get away from the monster. In the midst of the chaos, the soccer ball is kicked into Gero's path, completely on accident, yet it still causes him to skid across the ground in an attempt to stop before hitting it. However, the ground, muddy from the gym classes that day, is slippery. His feet trip over themselves, sending the pink-haired boy hurtling toward the ground._

_As he sits up, rubbing the sore knee that connected hard with the ground, he hears someone yell out his name._

"_Gero, you gotta run!" Staring in confusion at the boy, the same one who had called his hair a wig, he freezes when he feels breath hot on his neck. As much as he didn't want to turn around his curiosity got the better of him. He turns and finds himself face-to-face with the black monster. Opening his mouth to scream, no sound comes out, and he quickly shuts it, opting to make a mad dash for it. He gets about ten feet before he can feel it's tentacles wrap around his waist, lifting him high into the air._

_Slamming him into the nearest wall, the creature moves it's face close to his to reveal a black mouth littered with spikes that look like shards of broken glass, a twisted grin spread across it's face._

"_So," it rasped. "You're a member of the infamous Conquest Club? I was expecting more."_

"_Th-the Conquest Club doesn't exist anymore." He managed to squeak out a reply. "We got our powers taken away when Zundar-sama left earth."_

"_Ah. So you're telling me I wasted all this time coming out here, only the find powerless opponents?" It's grip around his waist tightens. "That's no good. Lust-sama will be very disappointed in me if I bring him that news, so I have an idea!"_

_Lifting Gero up, it begins to slowly tighten it's tentacle, and Gero hisses at the stinging pain that shoots through him. As it grows tighter, his face contorts with pain, as he sees five figures appear behind the monster. The latter continues with his monologue, oblivious to it's impending doom._

"_It's a really great idea too! I'll just bring Lust-sama your corpse! He'll surely be happy then! And while I'm at it, I might as well go and get the other two, if you're truly powerless. What fun we'll have!"_

…

"And that's when those five showed up and killed it. So there was nothing to worry about anymore."

Seven faces stared at the pink-haired boy, mostly in surprise that he seemed unfazed by such threats. Why he decided to not say anything about this was beyond them.

"...so are you okay?" Arima asks softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I got away with a little bit of bruises, but they're already gone, so no big- OW!" A sharp poke to the left side of his waist by Arima proved otherwise. Sighing, the older boy shook his head, his dark green locks bouncing from side to side.

"Really, Gero. You're so stupid sometimes."

"Hey! I resent that!"

"I have to agree." Kinshiro chimes in. "Why would you think this doesn't matter, it's a threat directed to all of us. Were you just going to let them kill us?"

"No! I thought that they'd get the message when those five killed that thing."

"Did they get the message after they killed the first one?"

"...No. I guess I hadn't thought about that."

"Next time, do me a favor and think." Kinshiro then turns his attention back to the others. "So, this clearly involves all of us then. How much do you know?"

"We know they can possess anyone, but they aren't sure who the people we're closest to are just yet. They want to hit as close to home as possible. They're being controlled by someone, just like what you three did. And these guys are much more dangerous than your monsters were. No offense, but monsters that use tickling as an attack aren't exactly deadly. It's safer to move around in groups is what we've decided. Don't let them catch you alone or with one other person because they'll use them."

"Well, that seems all very useful, except there's only one problem."

"What's that?"

"I think you're forgetting that the three of us can't fight anymore. Zundar-sama took our rings from us when he left earth with Hireashi. You guys might have your powers back, but we don't. We're literally defenseless."

"Hmm. That's definitely a problem. I'd say keep one of us with you at all times but I realize the likelihood of that is second to none. Especially when those three are the only ones in the second year."

"There's no way I'm staying next to pinky over here all day! And Io isn't either, I won't allow it!"

"I don't want you staying with me anyway!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

"You're point is taken." Kinshiro says, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers exasperatedly. "Those two would probably cause more damage to the school than all of the monsters combined."

"So I guess the first thing we should do is figure out how you guys can protect your-" Atsushi is interrupted when the door to the student council room bursts open to reveal Yumoto and Wom-san, standing next to each other. Well, Wom-san is sitting, but still. A wide grin is spread across Yumoto's face.

"We have a surprise!" He crows happily, barely able to contain his excitement.

"I was wondering why it was so quiet around here. You didn't have your little mascots, no wonder." Kinshiro says, clearly annoyed. "What is the surprise, brat?"

"Is that anyway to treat someone who thought up a plan to get you guys your powers back!" Yumoto pouts angrily, his red eyes glistening. "I thought you'd be thanking me!"

"Did you really?" Io asks, voicing the question on everyone's minds.

"Mm!" Yumoto nods happily in response. "I thought of this really fast too! Back when we said we needed to talk all together like this, I started thinking about what the most important things would be! Obviously, we'd have to explain stuff and then try to figure out a way to fight them that works the best, but then I realized there was something even more important than that! How can we all fight together if we don't have even powers? Us five all have our love sticks and the love necklaces let us transform, but you guys lost your power! So the next day I went to Wom-san and talked to him about it. He said it'd be difficult but he pulled some strings and voila!" Yumoto reached behind his back to pull out three more necklaces, each a different color but with the same design. The only difference between these and the Battle Lover's own was that the heart was upside down, in the shape of a spade instead of a heart. One was a silvery glistening crystal with a swirl carved in the center of it.

"This one is for you, Arima-kun!" Yumoto said happily, bouncing over to the seated third year. "The color matches your Chevalier color and the swirl is your wind attribute." Handing it to him, he delivers the other two to the other members.

"Gero-kun's is light pink, for pearl, and the flower is for your misaki flower! And Kinshiro-kun's is gold and the star is the brilliant part! Wom-san had them specially made for you guys! Wasn't that nice of him?"

"Please tell me that we won't have to say those disgustingly cheesy lines about love when we transform." Gero says. "That's the last thing I want."

"You could say thanks, y'know." Ryuu shoots a glare Gero's way, who replies with a sneer.

"He's right. Thank you very much for these, Yumoto-san, Wombat-san." Arima says, nodding in thanks to them. "Let me also thank you for them as well. Those two have a hard time with things like that."

"It's no trouble, no trouble!" Wom-san says happily. "Anything to spread love around this wonderful planet! And no, you have no catchphrases. Unfortunately, as time was of the essence, I did not have a week to think of ones for you three. However, the uniforms are a bit different. You wear the same uniforms, however instead of black and gold, the main color is white and then accented with either silver, gold, or light pink depending on your color."

"I see. At least they will be more fashionable than those five's."

"Hey, I look sexy in that uniform! Right, Io?"

"Y-you look very nice in it, Ryuu." Io replies, clearly embarrassed.

"See?!"

"That doesn't count, he's your best friend, it's not like he'll say no!" Gero cried.

"That's not true! Even if he wasn't, he'd still I did because it's true! You only wished you looked as good as I do in that!"

"If I wore the same thing, I'd look ten times better than commoner scum like you!"

"You little-" Ryuu's comeback is cut off when they hear laughter echoing around them. Confused, the group looks around, before finally Ryuu spots the intruder. "There!" Pointing at an open window, a boy sits in the frame. His dark pink hair is pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, blowing behind him in the breeze. His eyes open to reveal bright pink orbs staring at them, his face a mix of glee and barely-concealed malice. A black yukata adorns his slender frame, his too-pale skin peeking out from where the two sides of the yukata meets at his chest and where the sleeves cut off.

"I was wondering what kind of people the eight of you were." The boy says. His voice is smooth and husky, like dripping caramel. "I'm confused. How did people like you manage to hurt my darling monsters? Oh well. And I came all this way too, only to find there's not much for me to do here. You're already busy killing each other." Eight faces watch this newcomer as they all gradually come to the same conclusion.

"...who are you?" Ryuu asks, voicing the question, but already knowing the answer.

"Me? Surely you, Ryuu Zaou, of all people, would recognize the face of Lust."


	4. Love Triumphs!

**Author's Note: **And I'm back on Monday again! Maybe I can actually keep my deadlines for this fic. That would be nice. Anyway, please enjoy! If you have any thoughts, questions, etc. feel free to ask me or tell me! Constructive criticism is appreciated wholeheartedly! Now then, I'll let you get on to this fic! :P

Disclaimer- I don't own these beautiful boys. T^T

* * *

**Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-Bu Love!: The Seven**

**Episode 4: Love Triumphs!**

* * *

For what feels like forever, all they can do is stare at the complete stranger making himself at home in the windowsill of the student council room. The silence is broken by Gero's gasp of realization as he raises his hand to point at the man, glaring daggers at the pink-haired boy, who smirks, eyebrows raised.

"Yes?" He says cockily. "Seems like someone found their voice."

"You!" Gero practically screeches at the top of his lungs. "You're the one who sicced that, that, that _thing_ on me! What the hell! Do you have any idea how close you came to damaging my flawless skin?! Those mud baths are expensive!"

"Wow. You and Envy would get along terrifically."

"Answer the question!"

"What question? The skin thing? I'd have to say that that _was _the point. Why would I sic a monster just to ruin your skin? It was _supposed _to split your midsection, but _no_, it couldn't even do that! Really, never send a minion to do a man's job."

"With that hair? Some man you are." Ryuu laughs.

"Like you're one to talk, pinky. Not much better, I see."

"Hey! At least my eyes are a normal color! And for your information, pink looks way better on me than you anyway!"

"As much as I'd love to continue this conversation, I'm afraid I'm here on other business. Can't be upsetting the boss, now can we?"

"He's right." Atsushi says, stepping forward. "I have some questions to ask you."

"And why would I answer those?"

"There's eight of us," Yufuin says, gesturing around. "And only one of you. I think we have the advantage, don't you think?"

"It seems there's something you're misunderstanding. I'm not like the ones you've already fought. I'm the one who made them. And even though there's eight of you, I wonder how many people are at this school for clubs or duties? I came to kill you. This isn't an interview, it's going to be a slaughter."

"I'd like to see you try!" Ryuu snarls, curling his lip in anger at the stranger, who just laughs,

"Then I will. I'll even give you a handicap, go ahead and transform. Makes it more entertaining for me. Oh, I just love a good fight! Gets the blood boiling!" And with that, he disappears with a particularly loud cackle, the sound ringing in their ears.

"Where'd he go?!" Yumoto cries. "Why's he running away, I wanna fight!"

"Use your brain, imbecile." Kinshiro mutters. "It's obvious. If he's going to use the students, where else would they be but the sports fields. Now, shall we hurry up, or just let them come to us?"

"Right, let's go!"

"You, who befoul our beloved earth!"

"No justice can come from loveless power!"

"Live for love, die for love!"

"Love is all!"

"We are the heirs to the throne of love! Feel the power!"

"Of love!"

"It sickens me every time you say those words." Kinshiro says, shuddering. The Conquest Club had transformed as well, each one donned in the same garbs as three months prior, only these are white with specific trimming.

"Yeah, it's not like talking about love suits you, Ryuu." Gero snickers. "After all, it's not like you ever have a girlfriend or anything. Pathetic."

"Ass! I do too! It's just that I go through them so quickly, you don't have a chance to notice! You're too busy loving yourself that there's no room for anyone else!"

"Better than be alone forever, you-"

"Guys." Akira says this, the same smile plastered across his face. However, the aura behind is basically death, and Gero and Ryuu take a few steps back, shivering slightly. "Now's not really the time, yeah?"

"S-sorry." Gero mutters. Ryuu says nothing, but goes to cower by Io's side, who snickers, patting his friend's head.

"How are you supposed to fight if you're scared of our allies? Calm down, Ryuu, he won't do anything."

"I wish he would. But to Gero, not me."

"I know, I know." Io takes a step forward. "Alright guys, let's-"

"GOOOOO!" Yumoto interrupts him, taking off through the window that the man had been sitting in just minutes before. Shaking their heads, the other seven follow him.

"Yumoto, don't be so rash!" Atsushi yells after him.

"Aw, come on! It's fine! I'm really exci-" his words are cut off when a tentacle slams itself into his stomach, sending the small boy flying into the ground with a surprised squeak.

"Shit!" Yufuin curses. "You five, go start, I don't know, fighting or whatever. Atsushi, come with me. We gotta check on him."

"Right!" Following the brunette, the two boys land on the ground and run over to Yumoto, who begins to sit up, coughing.

"Yumoto, are you okay?!" Atsushi exclaims. "This is exactly what I was talking about! Are you hurt? You're coughing, can you breathe? Can you feel your stomach? How's your-"

"Atsushi-chan!" Yumoto says, smiling. "I'm fine! I knocked up dust and it got in my throat! It tasted bad!" He complained, sticking out his tongue in disgust. Wanting to say something more, Atsushi finally closes it when Yufuin puts a hand on his shoulder.

"This is Yumoto we're talking to. I doubt he'd die even if the apocalypse happened. He's like one of those cockroaches. Cuter, but just as stubborn."

"I supposed you're right." Atsushi sighed, smiling. Turning to look into Yumoto's scarlet eyes, he said seriously "Be careful. We can't afford having you down on the job. You're the only one who can use Love Shower."

"I will! Can we go now? I wanna go help!"

"Yeah, let's go."

Meanwhile, the remaining five ran around the corner of the school building in the direction of the tentacle, only to stop in horror.

"What the…" Io trails off, just as surprised as the others. Standing in front of them is what seems like hundreds of the monsters. Hordes of the black things are standing before them, as if waiting for their arrival. The boy, Lust, sits on the roof, one leg slung over the over, his chin resting in his fist, a cocky smile on his face.

"Certainly took you long enough!" He crows happily. "I think you wasted your handicap taking too long! Oh well, doesn't matter! Monsters!" he commands, raising a long black staff in his hand. The orb on top, in the shape of a flame, pulses a dark pink, the wave of light shooting out to hit all the black creatures. With a big smile on his face, he hits the rooftop with it.

"Attack!"

And just like that, the mass moves as one body, swarming onto the boys. The five seem to disappear altogether under the heaving swarm. But it's not like they're completely defenseless. Each one is doing their own part, attacking multiple targets at once. But as fast as one goes down, another takes it's place. By the time Yufuin, Yumoto and Atsushi get there, all they can do is defend.

"There's too many!" Ryuu yells between blasts of Raging Ignit. "We gotta come up with something or this isn't gonna end well!"

"Just saying that doesn't really help!" Gero yelled back at him.

"I don't see you thinking of anything!"

"Again, not the time, guys!" Io yells, deflecting a laser from one of the monsters, only for it to collide with Arima and send him flying. Barely managing to right himself before he hit the school. "I'm sorry!" Io yells at him, looking over, distressed.

"Io, pay attention!" Ryuu hisses, grabbing his friend and jumping out of the way, only for a tentacle to smash into the ground where he had been moments before. However, the two collide with Gero and they all tumble to the ground.

"Get off me!" He says indignantly, glaring at the two on top of him. "And watch where you're going!" Atsushi jumps over them, shielding the three as they pick themselves up.

"This isn't working!" he yells, loud and clear so everyone can hear him. "We have no idea how to fight together, we've always been enemies. Eight is too many, our movements are all wrong!"

"Then what do we do?" Kinshiro cries back, dodging another tentacle to land a golden bea, on the one that attacked him, only for another to come crashing into his legs, sending him spiralling through the air. Arima's there in an instant, righting his friend in the process. "Thanks" Kinshiro mutters before departing again.

"There's no chance to do anything!" Ryuu mutters, looking around. "How do we get them all to stop?" He glances down as something catches his eye. The monster Kinshiro just destroyed had finished reverting back into a human - only for a magenta wave of light pulsed through him, turning him back once again. Ryuu's eyes widen as he realizes what's going on. "That's it! Guys, they're not just multiplying, they're-" his voice is cut off as five monsters attack him at once, sending him crashing into the building.

"Ah ah!" Lust says, positively giddy with delight. "Can't have you revealing our secret!" Groaning, Ryuu darts from the crater, only to be grabbed by his arm and thrown into the air. Another hits his back and he flies onto the rooftop, landing right behind Lust. Standing up the, magenta-haired boy turns to laugh at him.

"Looks like I have to kill you first. Don't want the others to know how to win after all!" He lifts his foot up and brings it down on Ryuu's stomach, who groans and coughs, his eyes wide with pain. Io had noticed this and is desperately trying to reach Ryuu, only to find the way consistently blocked. Grinding in his heel, Lust grins wildly. "Any last words?"

"Just a few," Ryuu spits out, smirking as best he can. "Pay attention to your weapon." Lusts' pink eyes widen with shock, spinning to look behind him where he left the staff, only to see it in Io's hands. "Do it!" Ryuu yells.

"No!" But it's too late. Io takes one look at Lust, and snaps the staff in half. "No! You have no idea what you just did!" Lust yells, reaching for his staff, only to be knocked off his feet as soon as his attention leaves Ryuu. One by one, all the monsters disappear, leaving very confused but otherwise fine students in their place. Scrambling to his feet and reaching for his staff, Lust can only watch in dismay as it begins to glow a bright black, if that's even possible. He whimpers with fright as it explodes into a thousand sparkling pieces before dissipating altogether. A split second, Lust lets out an ear-piercing scream and collapses onto the roof, unconscious. His skin starts to darken, turning the same grotesque black as the monsters.

"What the-" Io doesn't get a chance to finish before there's another flash of light, and another boy appears, this one looking much older. His hair is blue, a blue like the color of blueberries, falling down his back in a long braid. His eyes are a light blue as well, with the same pale skin as Lust. Well, what Lust used to have. A black hoodie with blue trimmings adorns his tiny body. He lands softly on the roof as the other six Battle Lovers arrive.

"Who's that?" Yumoto asks.

"What happened to you?" Gero says, directing this at Ryuu.

"What happened to him?" Yufuin adds, pointing at the boy, whose skin is now pitch black.

Completely ignoring them, the blue-haired boy walks lazily over to his fallen comrade, kneeling down next to him.

"Luuuust." He groans. "What did master say about running off on your own like that? Now you're hurt. More importantly, I had to get up and come get you. You know I don't like that." No response comes,a s expected. Sighing, the boy raises a hand to place it over Lust's forehead. He closes his eyes and a blue glow appears around his hand, quickly engulfing the unconscious boy beneath him. The blue slowly changes colors from blue to a deep magenta, and Lust shifts slightly, his skin beginning to change back to the same pale peach it had been before.

When it's finally done, he picks him up princess-style, like he weighs almost nothing. The boy's head falls limply against the blue-haired man's shoulder, who smiles tenderly. As he turns to walk back to the place he had come from, he raises his head and notices the eight spectators for the first time. Tilting his head, he gives them an odd stare.

"Who're you?" He asks them curiously. Staring at this man, Ryuu quickly decides he's even weirder than Lust. Stepping forward, he answers for the group.

"Shouldn't you know?"

"Know? Why?" Shocked by this boy's complete lack of caring, Ryuu tries again.

"Oh I don't know, maybe, because you wanna kill us?!"

"Huh?" He pauses, looking down thinking hard. A spark of realization flashes across his droopy blue eyes and a tiny smile appear on his lips. "Oh I know now. You're those guys master wants us to kill. I get it. Sorry, but I'm not here to fight with you. Master sent me to collect a wayward puppy who went off on his own. He's not particularly bright, so please forgive him. Well, we'll be going now. I'm number four, so try not to die before I come back, yeah? I need to pay you back for this." For a split second, his gaze hardens into a glare so cold and angry it sends shivers down their spines. However it's gone as soon as it came, replaced with his normal droopy, lazy-eyed stare. With a small nod of the head, he turns slowly and walks away.

"Hey, wait!" Atsushi steps forward, but the two boys are already gone, leaving a puff of dust in their wake. The eight stare at the space they had just been, trying to process what had just happened. Shaking his head, it's Atsushi who collects himself first. Turning to the others, he smiles wearily.

"Well, for our first fight together, I'd say we did pretty good. No one's dead, right?"

"I feel like it." Ryuu responds, though he sounds more pissed then hurt.

"Well, despite what you feel like, you're not. I think we should all go back to the student council room and recollect ourselves. And I think you need to enlighten us as to what happened on the roof." Kinshiro says, brushing the dirt off his uniform. Muttering their agreement, the eight turn and walk towards the stairs leading back to the school.

…

After reaching the student council room, the first thing they did was medical care. None of them got away scot free, however Ryuu and Kinshiro had it the worst. The place where the tentacle had hit Kinshiro's leg had swollen into a big bruised welt and Ryuu now had a large bump on the back of his head.

"There goes the last of your brain cells." Gero snickers.

"At least I had some to begin with!" Before Gero even got a chance to respond, Kinshiro interjected, grunting a bit as he shifted his leg with the ice pack on it to a different position.

"Cut it out. Ryuu, you need to tell us what happened on the roof."

"Yeah, yeah." He pouts, glaring at Gero. "What I was going to say, before the monsters cut me off, was that they weren't multiplying, they were regenerating. We were fighting the same students over and over."

"Wha? How does that work?" Yumoto asks. "I thought we were beating them?

"I'm getting to that. It was that staff of his. I saw one of the students who turned back get hit with that same magenta light that commanded them in the first place and he transformed again. So I figured if we could break the staff. we could stop him. I have no idea what was up with his skin though."

"That probably had something to do with the backlash of his attacks. All that dark energy had to go somewhere, right? It must have turned on him." Kinshiro mused thoughtfully. "Of course, I have no idea if that's correct or not."

"Well, it's all we have to go on, so let's think of it like that."

"You know," Yumoto says. "This conversation is great and all," he breaks off, yawning widely. "But I'm really tired. Can't we do this some other day? I wanna go home and take a bath and go to bed." Chuckling at the young boy, the other's look around.

"Anyone have objections to that?" Atsushi asks.

"I could use a nap myself" Yufuin says, scratching his head sleepily.

"You always could, En-chan, that doesn't count."

"Yeah but more than usual this time. I'm tired, Atsushi, let's go home. Come on, come on." He whines, pawing at his friend's shoulder. Rolling his eyes, Atsushi sighed.

"Fine. We'll meet later I guess. For now, everyone go home and get some rest."

"Yaaay!" Yumoto says happily, clapping his hands, only to be interrupted by another yawn. Standing up and stretching, Yufuin strolls over and lifts the small boy to his feet.

"Come on, Atsushi," he says, turning the blue-haired boy. "Let's take this thing home. I doubt he can make it on his own. Knowing him he'll fall asleep on his feet." Obeying (and ignoring the glare Kinshiro directs at Yufuin), Atsushi waves to the others.

"See you tomorrow." Gero and Arima follow suit, pulling their pouting president along with them, leaving Io and Ryuu alone in the room.

"Lock up when you're done." Arima calls, tossing Ryuu the keys. The door shuts, and the two are left on the couch, watching each other. Making sure they've gone, Io turns to Ryuu and lifts up his shirt.

"H-hey!" Ryuu cries, turning an interesting shade of red. "What're you doing?!"

"Inspecting you." He sighs when he sees the telltale bruising in the shape of a foot on his ribcage. "Were you really not going to do anything about this?"

"I was gonna take tylenol. Tylenol makes everything better." Ryuu mutters back guiltily.

"Of course you were. You can be really stupid, Ryuu."

"I don't need your insults!"

"Be quiet and let me rub lotion on you." Freezing, Io lifts his head to look at Ryuu, who's watching him in shock. Then the two of them promptly break into a fit of laughter.

"Ow," Ryuu says between laughs. "Coulda phrased that better, huh?"

"No need to tell me that." Io retorts, stifling his giggles as he applies the lotion. "All done!" He says only a moment, later pulling back satisfied with his job. As Ryuu pulls his shirt back down, he's surprised to find it already feeling better.

"What was that?"

"Some random lotion. It makes you feel colder, so it'll numb the affected area and help the internal bleeding clot."

"You're so smart, Io." Ryuu says, smacking his friend on the back. Stifling yet another sigh, Io smiles back at him.

"Well one of us has to be."


	5. Love Hurts

**Author's Note: **Alright, I had so many wonderful people beg me to update, so I'll update! Sorry it took so long, and I make no guarantees the next chapter won't take just as long, but hopefully this will appease you all.

It's not really fluff, so much as shipping progression. I took some creative liberties and decided a background for Io and Ryuu, but it was necessary! This chapter focuses on Io and his feelings for Ryuu. I feel kind of bad for causing him so much pain, but it'll all work out, so I'm not too worried. Poor Io, I'm beating you so much TT^TT

Disclaimer- I don't own these beautiful boys.

* * *

**Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-Bu Love!: The Seven**

**Episode 5: Love Hurts**

* * *

"You know, I've been thinking," Ryuu says as he walks out of the school, Io following close behind him.

"You? Thinking? Don't hurt yourself, Ryuu, who else am I gonna walk to school with?" Io laughed as Ryuu smacked the back of his head.

"Is it impossible for you to go just one day without making fun of my intelligence?"

"Yes. Yes it is." Rolling his eyes, Ryuu cleared his throat.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I've been thinking a bunch about this new… thing going on."

"Thing?" Io echoed. "What thing?"

"Those things. You're gonna tell me the guys we just fought were human?"

"Well what else are they?"

"Not people. People don't have crazy colored hair."

"I don't think we're ones to talk about crazy colored hair."

"It's dyed, and you know it! Besides, people don't turn black."

"That is true."

"So they're things, right? They have a master, right? So if they aren't people, and they answer to someone, doesn't that make them, like, demons or something?" Io stares at Ryuu, dumbfounded. "What? What'd I say?"

"N-Nothing. I'm just surprised you thought of that. Certainly that would seem to be the case, when you put it like that."

"So instead of waiting for them to come to us, shouldn't we be looking for their master?"

"Hmm…. I think you're… actually right, for once."

"Hey!"

"No, no, it's a good thing! I'm complimenting you!"

"Feels like you're insulting me." Ryuu muttered, pouting.

"I'm doing both. Now then, the person must have a grudge against us, or something like that. But there's too many people at the school to go through to figure out who likes who and who doesn't. Instead, we need to find out how they… summoned, I guess, those things. If we find out how they did that-"

"-We find them!"

"Kind of. It's more complicated than that, but it would certainly bring us closer to the truth. Good job, Ryuu." Io said, smiling. Ryuu grinned and flung an arm around Io, pulling him close.

"Thanks, dude!" When Io turns to look at Ryuu, he finds his face much too close to his own. As his cheeks heat up, he quickly shoves Ryuu away. Crying out, the pink-haired boy stumbled back, falling against a street lamp post. "Ow! What the hell, Io!"

"Ah… S-sorry." Without another word, Io turns and races down the street, in the opposite direction of Ryuu. Scratching his head curiously, the pink-haired boy stands, staring in confusion after his best friend.

"What was that all about?"

…

Reaching his house, Io threw open the door, hurrying up the stairs as fast as he could.

"Io?" His mom called. "What's wrong? Aren't you coming down for dinner?" Pausing at the top of the stairs, he yelled back.

"I'm not hungry!" Entering his room, he slammed the door shut. He paused against it, breathing hard. As he panted, he desperately tried to calm his heart. Leaning back to rest against the door, he slowly sank to the ground, letting his head fall between his knees. He sighed, running a hand through his green hair as he looked across his room.

Io's room was pretty plain. It had a bed in one corner, a big queen-sized one he had bought with his own money. There was a desk with neat stacks of books and jars holding pens and pencils. Next to the books was a high-tech computer, setup with everything he needed to play the stock markets. He had a bookcase that was filled with novels of every genre and books on economy and business to prepare himself for the future. Sitting on his desk was the extra makeup he had bought for Ryuu, still in the plastic bag it had come in when he got it from the convenience store. On top of his bed sat a large stuffed teddy bear. Io smiled as he remembered when he had gotten that.

It was back in his first year of middle school. His birthday had rolled around, and though Io hadn't told anyone about it, Ryuu had no problems yelling "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" in front of the entire class. Dying of embarrassment, Io had forgiven Ryuu when the pink-haired boy had presented him with a small cake in a white pastry box from Io's favorite bakery. It had been absolutely delicious. The two later had spent the entire day at the arcade, and Ryuu had gained enough tickets to buy the grand prize from the shop vendors. He had bought the largest teddy bear they sold, one that was light green and had a bored look in it's eyes. Smiling, he had handed it to Io.

"_It remind me of you!" _He had said happily. "_Happy birthday, Io!"_ Io had acted like it was a terrible gift, but accepted it anyway. The teddy bear was, to this day, his most prized possession. After all, it was given to him by his best friend, and the first one he had made when he moved here. It had not been a very pleasant experience, entering school even though it had already been in session for two months. Ryuu had made it better. Io remembered the first day he had actually talked to the energetic, pink-haired boy.

_It had been a normal day at school a few years ago, back in middle school. Io had recently moved to the area, and so far he hadn't been able to really make any friends. He sighed, once again eating lunch alone as everyone else sat with their friends. As he ate, he didn't notice one boy staring at him curiously. Io had gotten up to go to the bathroom, slowly making his way down the halls of the school. He had been just about to enter the restroom when a group of third years walked out. Not really paying attention, he'd run right into one of them. The force knocked him to the ground, and when he looked up, he saw three angry boys staring down at him._

"_What's a first year like you doing in the third year's hallway, brat?" One of them said._

"_Yeah, you get lost or something? How're you planning on making up for the fact you ran into our friend?"_

"_Yeah, it really hurts, kid!" Io could tell it didn't. He sighed, getting to his feet._

"_Sorry I ran into you, but if you had looked where you were going, I wouldn't have. If you're going to be immature, please do it somewhere else." He replied. The third years did not like this very much._

"_Ass!" One of them yelled as another one stepped forward, grabbing Io's collar. "We'll teach you a thing or two!" Shaking him violently, they started to pull him into the bathroom. Io finally started to get kind of scared as they threw him in and blocked the door. The three boys sneered down at him, laughing menacingly._

"_Hey, he looks kinda girly. You sure you ain't in the wrong uniform, kid?"_

"_I-I'm a boy." Io stammered back, getting a bad feeling about where all of this was going._

"_Well, we'll just have to make sure, won't we?" As they advanced, Io backpedalled as fast as he could. Running into the wall, he turned to look at the boys as they grabbed him roughly. However, before he could do anything, the door to the bathroom flew open._

"_Teacher, some third years are bullying the new kid!" A different voice called._

"_Shit!" One of the boys cursed, and the third years were quickly gone, leaving Io to sink to the ground in relief._

"_Hey, are you okay?" The same voice came again, and Io looked up to see a boy standing above him. The kid's hot pink fell messily around his face, revealing worried brown eyes peering at him. Io nodded slowly in response._

"_Y-Yeah. Thanks." The boy nodded_

"_No problem." He replied. "My name's Ryuu Zaou. I'm in your class, you know."_

"_I thought you looked kind of familiar."_

"_You really don't pay much attention to people, do you? How are you gonna make friends?"_

"_I don't need any friends." Io responded sourly. "They don't stay your friends when things happened. No one tried to stay in touch with me when I moved here and no one tried to talk to me, so what's the point?" Ryuu thought for a minute before replying._

"_Well, sometimes you just gotta make the first move. And those old friends are bad friends. And everyone needs friends, so I'll be yours!" He sounded triumphant, as if this was the best possible solution. "That's okay, right?" He added, a hint of nerves in his voice. Io stared up at him in astonishment, before slowly nodding in response._

"_Yeah. That's alright."_

"_Great!" Ryuu said, offering Io his hand and pulling him to his feet. As the two walked out, Ryuu continued. "Those guys are always doing stupid stuff like that. You don't look that much like a girl."_

"_I'll take that as a compliment." Io had replied._

That had been the first time Io had actually been glad he had moved. Many times since then, he had thanked whatever was watching over him for letting him meet Ryuu. The two were best friends. It was Io's fault that that was in jeopardy.

As he walked to his bed, falling onto it sleepily, he sighed. Pulling the teddy bear over to him, he wrapped his arms around it and squeezed it as hard as he could.

"Sorry, Ryuu. I'm a bad friend."

…

When Io opened his eyes, he immediately knew that something was wrong. A deep sense of dread in his gut was forming, and as he sat up, he also quickly realized why.

Lust was sitting in his room.

The magenta-haired boy grinned menacingly, his pink eyes flashing with… was that pride? Io shot up, reaching for his necklace, only to find it missing from its familiar position on his nightstand.

"Looking for this?" The boy said, holding up his small golden hexagon-shaped pendant. Io instinctively darted forward, only to stop short when Lust's staff was swung up towards him, the sharp pointed end only centimeters from his throat.

"Sit down." Lust growled. Io sat.

"Why the hell are you here?!" Io said through gritted teeth. "How the heck do you know where I live?!"

"I don't. This is a dream."

"A… dream?"

"It was originally a wet dream." Io's cheeks flushed a brilliant scarlet, and Lust laughed. "I'm named after human's carnal desires, what kind of dream did you think it would be if I could appear? No, I won't hurt you. Im sorry to say I can't do anything in a dream. Well, nothing physically injurious anyway." He grinned, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"What do you want." Io spat out, silently praying to wake up before Lust could do anything.

"I'm here, my darling new pet, because I have news, wonderful, glorious news! Oh, but it's good for me. Not you. No, I'm afraid for you, it's terrible, horrible, awful news." Io's mind immediately thought of Ryuu.

"What did you do to Ryuu?!" He yelled, unable to control the anger swelling in his voice. Lust smirked happily.

"Oh, it's not me. The better question is what will you do to him?"

"...What?" Io muttered, utterly confused. "What do you mean, 'what _I'll _do to him'? You're the villain here, not me."

"That might be so, but I'm a villain who, like I mentioned earlier, is formed of carnal desires, human's lust." Lust stood, stalking over to Io's bed and crawling onto it, advancing closer and closer, his eyes slowly turning a vivid blood red. " And my, oh my, is there so much lust hidden within you." Io's eyes widened in shock, and he shook his head.

"That's not true!" Io shouted. "I'd never do anything to Ryuu!"

"You might not mean to, no, but I prey on lust. I can easily force you to." A loud smack rung out through the air as Io's palm connected with Lust's cheek, the demon's head jerking sharply to the left.

"Shut up! You can't make me do anything!" But Io isn't sure if even he, himself, believes that now. He can feel himself start to tremble, his eyes stinging, as Lust turns to look at him. A tiny trickle of blood has begun to seep from the corner of Lust's mouth, and his face forms into a twisted grin. One hand darts forward and grabs Io's chin, yanking him forward until the two are staring face to face. The other wraps around the inside of Io's arm, and the boy screams in pain as his skin begins to burn where Lust grabbed his arm. Desperately trying to pull away, he watched as Lust's eyes open wide, the pupils dilating until they're pinpricks.

Io shrieks as the blood red color of Lust's eyes begins to overflow from the eye sockets and onto his bed, into his room, onto him. He tried to pull his head away, but Lust's grip has hardened. As the red color fills the room, quickly rising like the ocean at high tide, Lust smiles. His teeth form points of fangs, and his eyes are now empty black sockets, red blood still overflowing from them. When he speaks, his voice echoes around the room in hundreds of different voices.

"The only person Ryuu should fear is you. You're only human. Your desire will overtake you soon enough. And when it does, I'll be there. _Enjoying every little bit of it._"

…

Io bolted awake, shooting up in his bed. His breath was coming in short gasps, heart beating much too fast for someone who was just asleep. He slowly reached up to clutch at his chest as the memory of the dream flashed through his mind. He involuntarily shivered as he recalled the words Lust had parted from him with, and how the dream had quickly turned from bad into one of the worst nightmares he had ever had.

A sharp pang in his arm caused him to look down. His heart nearly stopped as he saw a strange blackened mark on the inside of his arm, right where Lust had grabbed him. It was throbbing with a dull pain that was growing more intense with every second. Covering it with his opposite hand, he took a shuddering breath.

Although his heart began to slow, his breaths did not, coming faster and faster, a choking noise echoing from his throat. Then he realized he was crying. And that only made him cry harder. Not only was he a failure of a friend, he was now a danger to the one person he wanted to love and protect. He fell back on his head, his voice breaking out of his mouth in choking sobs. Reaching for the teddy bear, he only pushed it farther away, as it tumbled off the bed from his touch. He heard a ripping sound and looked to see that the bear's arm had gotten caught between his nightstand and the bed. A large tear had formed in the soft fur, the white stuffing slowly oozing it, as if it was some kind of sign.

Io jumped backwards, rolling over until he faced the wall. Curling into a ball, he hugged his knees to his chest and cried. Between his quiet sobs, he managed to echo out four words.

"Ryuu… I'm so sorry…"

…

When Ryuu walked into the classroom the next morning, the first thing he saw was an unfamiliar boy sitting in Io's desk. Walking over to him, Ryuu tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, kid, that's not your seat." Looking at him, the boy shrugged.

"Naruko-san asked me to switch seats with him, so it can't be helped. Besides, I hated sitting in the front anyways. He's over there now." Ryuu followed the boy's finger over to a desk in the corner at the front of the classroom, the desk on the exact opposite position as Ryuu's, as far away as possible. Frowning, Ryuu walked over to Io.

"Hey man!" He said happily, patting Io on the shoulder. The green-haired boy jumped and turned to look at Ryuu. "Whoa!" Ryuu cried, unsure of what to make of Io's expression. It was obvious he hadn't slept well the night before, dark circles under his eyes, which were puffy and bloodshot. His complexion was pale and his hair disheveled. He didn't really look too bad, but Ryuu was Io's best friend. He could tell something was wrong. Before he could ask, Io stood up abruptly.

"Sorry, but I don't feel very good. Will you tell the teacher I'm going to the nurse?" Ryuu nodded dumbly as Io turned and left the classroom. Ryuu was left staring after his retreating form, utterly confused.

The teacher entered the room and noticed Ryuu standing up near Io's new desk, still staring into space, lost in space. He was shaken out of his stupor when the teacher cleared his throat.

"Huh?"

"I said, would you please take your seat, Zaou-kun? Class is in session now."

"Oh. Sorry." As Ryuu walked back to his desk, the teacher looked curiously back where Ryuu and Io had sat together. He took his seat as they spoke again.

"Zaou-kun, where is Naruko-kun? And why is Mutsumi-kun in his seat?"

"Io went to the nurse's office." Ryuu replied after a few seconds. "And… I guess he wanted to switch seats."

"He knows he needs permission to do that."

"Oh, i-it's because of his eyes," Ryuu replied, thinking quickly. "He was having trouble seeing in the back, that's all."

"Oh. If that's the case, he should have said something sooner. Be sure to tell him to go to the eye doctor, alright?"

"Sure." As the teacher then launched into a lecture on Japanese literature, Ryuu turned to look out the window. He couldn't help but wonder why Io had blown him off earlier, and why he looked so terrible. But when he went to check on Io, he found that he had already gone home and Ryuu had missed his opportunity to ask him about it.

The next few days weren't any better. Ryuu had tried to talk to Io a few more times, but Io had always made up some kind of excuse to leave. Io had stopped eating with the Defense Club and had avoided being in the same room as Ryuu, except when it was unavoidable. Ryuu had tried and tried to talk to him to no avail. Finally, he caught him after school, before he could leave through the back entrance.

"Io!" The boy stiffened, slowly turning to look at Ryuu. His gray eyes lowered and he looked away, avoiding Ryuu's accusatory gaze.

"What is it?"

"You know exactly what it is! What's the big idea, avoiding me like this?! What'd I do?! You haven't even looked at me, let alone actually talked to me for a week now!"

"...I've been busy." Io's hand moved to his arm, the burn mark on the inside beginning to throb.

"Busy my ass! You've been avoiding me on purpose and for no reason!"

"There is a reason!" Io said suddenly, stepping forward. The look on his face made Ryuu's heart throb, and, for a second, he wondered why it was doing that.

"Then what is it! You've never kept secrets before!" His voice softened as he started to walk forward. Io took a few steps backwards, but Ryuu hurried forward, grabbing him. "You can tell me. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out together."

"I can't tell you, Ryuu. I just can't." Ryuu stiffened. Io had never refused to talk to him before. His gaze hardened as his eyes narrowed. He let go of Io, stepping back.

"You can't or you won't." It wasn't a question, and Ryuu turned and began to walk away. He didn't want to stay and listen to Io lie to him anymore. Io, seeing this, stepped forward, his eyes beginning to fog over.

"Ryuu, wait! I'm sorry, but I'm too-" He broke off as a strangled yelp erupted from his lips. The burn mark on his arm has escalated from a dull throb to a white hot blinding pain. With each beat of his heart, the pain shoots up his arm, echoing dully around in his head. As he falls to his knees, he can hear Ryuu's voice yelling his name. Before his hits the pavement, he can feel arms wrap around him warmly. Unable to keep his eyes open any longer, the last thing Io sees is Ryuu's terrified face. Slipping into blissful unconsciousness, he can hear words echoing through his mind in an all-too-familiar voice.

"_How weak..."_


	6. Equal Love

**Author's Note: **The conclusion to what happens with Io! A lot of what's in the book Ryuu reads came straight from my imagination cuz I thought it'd be cool. As for the demon summoning ritual... yeah, don't trust me on any of that. I needed a way for Lust to appear, and I couldn't just have him pop out, there's gotta be drama, so that's what you all get :P

Disclaimer- I don't own these beautiful boys.

* * *

**Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-Bu Love!: The Seven**

**Episode 6: Equal Love**

* * *

As Ryuu walked away from Io, he did his best to ignore Io's cries after him. It's not like it was easy for him to walk away from his best friend.

"Ryuu wait!" The despair in his voice was one of the worst things Ryuu had heard, and it took all he had to not turn around and run back to him. It was only when he heard Io's cry of pain that he dared to look back. His friend was crumpling to his knees, clutching his left arm, a strange look of fear and pain creasing his face.

"Io!" Ryuu had immediately ran to his side, barely able to catch him before he collapsed to the ground. His friends gray eyes opened briefly to meet his own, and in that split second, Ryuu thought he saw them flash red for a moment, before they closed and Io passed out in his arms.

"Io! Hey! This isn't funny, wake up!" When Io didn't stir, Ryuu felt fear shoot through him. He had no idea what was wrong with his best friend, only that he had been acting weird the past week. He slowly reached down, prying Io's fingers off his arm. Ryuu's face twisted with disgust when he saw the ugly black bruise on the boy's arm. It was a strange symbol, a circle with an eye inside it, spikes poking off the circle and in all directions. One thing was for sure, Io didn't get this through any normal methods. Deciding to inspect it later, Ryuu tried to think of what he should do. There was no way he was going to take Io back to his house. His parents could see the bruise, and then things would get really bad. He finally chose to take Io back to his own house. At least that way he could keep an eye on his friend.

As he hefted the unconscious boy onto his back, Ryuu was surprised at how light Io was. He distinctly remembered the last time he had carried Io, two months ago when the boy had passed out from a fever. He had definitely lost weight since then.

"Maybe it's stress?" Ryuu muttered as he began the long walk back to his house. "That would certainly explain why he vanished at lunchtime this past week." As he walked, he decided to ask Io about it when he woke up. And next time, he wouldn't be so pushy.

It took Ryuu considerably longer than it would have if he had walked home by himself. This time, he had a teenage boy on his back, and while Io was light, he most certainly was not as light as a feather. Thanking whatever god was watching over him, he sighed in relief as he set Io down to open the front door, realizing both his parents were out. The key turned in the lock with a click and the door swung open. Leaning down, Ryuu chose to pick Io up princess-style this time. It would be easier on his back. Lifting the boy up, he carefully maneuvered him through the door so that Io wouldn't hit anything. Climbing the stairs one at a time, he made it to the top with both of them unharmed. By the time Ryuu reached his room, he was absolutely exhausted, his back hurt and his muscles ached and throbed. He still managed to lay Io down on his bed as gently as he possibly could, before collapsing on the ground, his back leaning against the bed, panting.

"Io, seriously," He breathed. "Don't do something like this again. I know I'm not in the best shape, but still!" He took a few minutes to catch his breath, before staggering to his feet. The first thing he did was call Io's house.

"Hello?" A woman's kind voice answered the phone.

"Naruko-san? It's Ryuu."

"Ah, Ryuu-kun! How are things with you? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm calling because I asked Io to sleep over at my house for a few days."

"Eh? Why is that?"

"Um," Ryuu replied, thinking fast. "I wanted his help with studying. My grades are slipping and Io said he'd help."

"Oh! Alright, that's fine. But why are you calling and not Io?"

"He's, um, asleep." _Well, it's not a lie _Ryuu thought. "I didn't want to wake him."

"I see. Okay, thank you for telling Ryuu-kun. The next time you're over, stay for dinner. I'll make that cherry pie you like so much."

"Really?! Thanks Naruko-san, you rock! Bye!"

"Goodbye, dear." Hanging up the phone, Ryuu breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried Io's mom would question him more than that, and he wasn't confident in his lying abilities to keep the story going. That had always been Io's expertise. Turning back to the stairs, he ascended them again, and as he entered the room, he imagined Io sitting up on his bed, perfectly fine, wondering why he was at Ryuu's house. But the boy was lying in the same place Ryuu had placed him in, his body still, skin pale. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest let Ryuu know he was still alive. He looked away, not wanting to think about the alternative. Picking up his cell, he dialed a number that he had but rarely used. The person picked up on the third ring.

"What?" A familiar bored voice echoed through the phone.

"Yufuin-senpai?"

"Eh? Ryuu? Why are you calling me?"

"I need to talk to you guys."

"Huh? Why? What's wrong? Why do you sound like you're gonna cry?"

"I-I'm not! Look, it's about Io! Can you get the others? I'll meet you all at the Kurotama bath in a few minutes, okay?"

"...Okay. But you better explain what's going on then, okay?"

"Yeah, I will." Hanging up, he glanced back at his sleeping friend. _How am I gonna explain this to my parents? _He thought. _I guess I'll think of something later. Until then, I better lock my bedroom door. _Thanking God that he had a room that locked from the inside, he turned the lock, before walking out it, stuffing the key in his pocket. Looking at Io, he paused, smiling softly.

"Wake up soon, Io…"

…

It took Ryuu around ten minutes to walk to the baths, not counting the ten he spent making sure things looked like no one was home yet in his house. It was unlikely his parents would be back so early, but just in case, he didn't want them barging into his room, only to find the door suspiciously locked. By the time he reached the baths, the others were already there, and he was surprised to see that that included the Conquest Club as well.

"Well?" Yufuin said. "What's so important that you had to wake me up?"

"Yeah, and where's greeny?" Gero said. "Aren't you two attached at the hip or something? Oh, did he get tired of you? It's about time, he must be some kind of dumbass to hang around with you all the-" Gero was cut off when Ryuu slammed his fist into the boy's cheek, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Ryuu!" Atsushi shouted, Yufuin quickly grabbing his arms when he tried to dive forward again. Kinshiro stepped in front of Gero protectively as Arima knelt down next to the stunned boy, who was sitting up, holding his cheek in shock. His ice blue eyes narrowed, and when he tried to get up, Arima pushed him back down.

"No fighting." The brunette said in a low, commanding tone.

"He deserved it!" Ryuu shouted back, his shoulders beginning to shake. "Don't ever insult Io! I don't care what you say about me, but don't ever insult him!"

"Why the heck are you so upset?!"

"Yeah, why _are _you so angry?" Atsushi asked quietly.

"Because Io can't defend himself right now! I'm sensitive about it!"

"Well why can't he?"

"...He won't wake up."

"Huh?" A chorus of confused sounds echoed throughout the bathhouse.

"Is he asleep?" Yumoto asked, slightly confused, but mostly curious.

"I don't know!" Ryuu yelled suddenly. "He's been avoiding me the past week, and when I confronted him, he passed out in front of me! He looked like he was in serious pain, but I couldn't do anything, and it's been hours and he won't wake up and-" He stopped abruptly, his cheeks flushing red, eyes beginning to water.

"And?" Atsushi prompted gently.

"...I'm scared." He said quietly. "What if something is seriously wrong? What if I just didn't notice? What if it's my fault? What if… what if he never wakes up? I'm scared, okay?!" As he reached up to wipe away tears he hadn't known he was crying, he felt arms wrap around him. Yumoto was standing on his tiptoes, doing his best to give Ryuu a hug.

"Don't cry, Ryuu-chan! It'll be okay!"

"Yumoto's right," Yufuin said, placing his hand on Ryuu's shoulder. "Io's tough. I'm sure he's fine."

"You said it's just been a few hours, right?" Kinshiro added. "I doubt it's anything worth worrying over to that extent."

"Yeah, not to mention punching someone cuz of it!" Gero muttered angrily. Ryuu snickered as he saw the big bruise forming on the corner of his mouth.

"It's an improvement, Gero."

"Shut up!" The pink-haired boy shrieked. "Do you know how expensive it'll be to buy the right shade of makeup to cover this up?!"

"It's not like you don't have money flowing out your ass. Probably something else flowing outta there too."

"You ass!" Gero shrieked as Atsushi smacked Ryuu on the head.

"There's children here! Be appropriate!" The blue-haired boy smiled. "At least you sound more like you now. As Kin-chan said, I don't think you should worry too much for now. Just let him sleep. We can talk more about this in school later, okay?"

"Okay." Ryuu replied. He really did feel better now that he had talked to his friends about it, though he could have done without seeing Gero that day. "I just hope you guys are right…"

…

When he arrived back at his house, Io still hadn't woken up. His parents weren't home yet either. Just like normal.

Ryuu's family had, from the start, been a busy one. His parents didn't really have time for kids. They were both workaholics, and Ryuu had been okay with that. It made his life easier, that was for sure. But it was hard sometimes, when he'd have a parent-teacher conference and neither of his parents could go. When he was younger, he had asked them both to come to the observation day his elementary school had, but both had said they were too busy. By the time he was in middle school, he had learned not to ask them things like that. He got the things he wanted and had a bunch of friends, so he had taught himself to not care so much.

Ryuu still remembered that day back in middle school, his third year. He had gotten a fever while he was at school and was told by the nurse to go home. Even though he said that he had called his parents to pick him up, he hadn't, deciding to just walk home by himself. He never would have made it if Io hadn't seen through him. The green-haired boy had chosen to ditch school and ran after Ryuu, taking him all the way back to his house. He had made Ryuu go to bed, before walking to the drugstore and buying him medicine. Io then proceeded to sit next to him, doing homework, until Ryuu's parents got home. Ryuu had found out later that Io had called and told them he was sick, and that his parents had panicked and left work early to get home to see him. So he knew they both cared.

There was a message on the answering machine, and he listened to it as he put away the food he bought at the grocery.

_Ryuu, it's mom. Your father and I are both leaving on a business trip tonight for Hokkaido. It was a surprise, so we got what we needed and left quickly. Sorry we missed you. We'll be back in a week, so be good until then. No parties, no drugs, no alcohol, though I doubt you'd do any of those things. I'll call every night, sweetie. Bye._

"Huh." Ryuu said aloud. "Things just got way easier." Climbing the stairs to his room, Ryuu walked in and fell down atop his bed, being careful to not hit Io. "I'm exhausted." He muttered, rolling over to lay face first on his blanket. Lifting his chin, he frowned when he realized that his bed was not all that big, and that he needed to do something about his sleeping arrangements, just in case Io woke up and freaked out if they were in the same bed.

He dragged a blanket in from the other room, too tired to lay out the futon. Falling on top of it, he fell asleep almost instantly, his last thoughts that of seeing Io awake and fine.

…

He did not wake up that night, nor the next day. When the second night came and went, Ryuu started to get worried. Well, more than he already was.

"Did Io wake up yet?" Atsushi asked as Ryuu walked into school.

"No, not yet." He replied.

"If there's anything we can do to help, just let us know. This isn't only your problem. If Lust attacks while Io is-"

"I know. You don't have to tell me, senpai. Thanks though. I'll be sure to let you know if I need any help."

Ryuu had chosen not to tell the others about the bruise on Io's arm. It would just raise questions that went with answers he didn't have yet. He had been going to the library, looking through occult books and ghost stories, trying to find some mention of the symbol on Io's arm. So far, he had had no luck. Today, however, as he went to the familiar shelves, had the feeling of success.

It was in the third book he pulled off the shelf. Flipping through the pages, a symbol of an eye caught his attention. Carefully paging back to it, he nearly shouted with joy as he saw it was, indeed, the same symbol as on Io's arm. He scanned the page quickly. It had a lot of notes on what the symbol was modelled after, but Ryuu skipped that and went straight to the part he needed.

"_Libido maledictionem_," He read aloud. "_A curse that demons and spellcasters affiliated with the sin of Lust use against their enemies. You can tell someone is cursed by this if there is this symbol somewhere on their body._ Well, that symbol is definitely on him. _While not all that dangerous, when near the object of libido, the afflicted will often be seized with the urge to grow intimate with- _Eww." Ryuu muttered. "Gross. Skipping the rest of that. _Depending on the strength of the caster, the curse can be used to manipulate the afflicted to do their bidding. If not removed, it is possible for the victim to begin to suffer from pain on or around the symbol, which will grow in strength. If actions are not taken, they might… die. _Wait, seriously? No, no way! There's gotta be a cure! There has to!" As he skimmed the rest of the pages, he found less and less suggestion of anything resembling a cure.

"Damnit! All it says is that Io has to break it himself! He can't do that unconscious! What now?! All that research only to reach a dead end! I can't give up, there has to be something, there _has _to!" As he reread the pages,he came across something he hadn't seen before, in fine print below a picture of a strange circle. "_Circle of summoning for the sin of Avarice… _That's it! I'll just summon Lust and make him remove it! It's so simple!"

…

Said plan was not that simple. Ryuu quickly realized that it was not going to be easy. First he needed to get the supplies. There were plants and fruits whose names he had never heard before that he needed, as well as candles and charcoal and one-hundred-year-old parchment. There was no way he could get that last thing. It took him three days to get everything, and another two to dry the plants that needed drying and freeze the fruits that needed freezing. He lost track of how many times he had to redraw the circle. It had to be perfect, since he couldn't use that stupid fancy paper. By the time he realized that maybe he shouldn't do it indoors, let alone in his room, things had already been set up. Cursing his stupidity, he sighed.

"Alright, what's the last thing?" Looking in the book, he read the last step. "_Virgin blood._ Never thought I'd be glad that I'm still a virgin." He laughed. Picking up the knife he had used to cut the fruits with, he raised it to his thumb and sliced the tip open, letting a few drops fall onto the paper. "So what, now I wait and-" His voice was cut off as a bright flash of light sparked from the paper, the blood flowing into the lines of the magic circle. It was the weirdest thing Ryuu had ever seen. Another flash of light was quickly followed by a loud thunderclap, and all of a sudden the paper burst into flames, incinerating before his eyes. And then nothing. His room looked exactly the same, except it was missing the paper, and, for a second, he thought nothing had happened. Then he heard a sigh behind him.

"I can't believe you." Lust said, clucking his tongue. "Summoning me with that pathetic excuse for a circle. You didn't even use ten-year-old paper, let alone hundred-year-old."

"Well sorry!" Ryuu exclaimed. "Why'd you come then?"

"Because it's entertaining! You called me here because of that, right?" He smiled, gesturing to the boy laying on the bed. "I'd be a fool not to see how this goes."

"Take it off."

"Why Ryuu-chan, I had no idea you were like that!"

"N-Not your clothes!" He blushed in spite of himself. "Your curse! Take it off him!"

"Now why would I do that?"

"Because otherwise I'll make you! I know your weakness now!" Grabbing his necklace and kissing it, a magenta light surrounded Ryuu, his clothes transforming, Love Sick appearing in his hand. "No justice can come from loveless power! There's no way you'd win if we fought!"

"That might be true. How about this? Your friend is my puppet right now, I control him. If you can somehow break that control, even for a second, I'll remove it, okay?"

"That's easy! I accept!"

"I think you'll find it harder than you expect. After all, he has to want to listen to you first. And he's most likely too scared to do that."

"Why would he be scared of me?'

"Not of you, of what I told him he'd do. He doesn't want to hurt you. It's so cute, it's sickening. He actually chose to be a lifeless doll with no will of his own, rather than hurt you. And you have absolutely no idea. Hysterical!" As Lust ranted, Ryuu slowly began to realize what had happened, at least parts of it. His brown eyes narrowed in hatred.

"What did you say."

"Not telling."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" He roared, charging at Lust. A snap of the demons fingers and a hand was there, catching Ryuu's fist mid swing. Io's hand. As Ryuu stopped to look at his friend, he was shocked to see his normally gray eyes a blood red.

"You're fighting him. Not me." Lust said coldly. "Let's see if you're stronger than your friend." And with those words, Io charged.

The boy wasn't transformed, and Ryuu soon found himself glad for that. Io was strong, much stronger than he was as a normal human, perhaps even stronger than he would be when transformed. With each punch he threw at Ryuu, a rush of air followed close behind, strong enough to blow Ryuu back. If one of those hit head on, it could do serious damage. All the pink-haired boy could do was dodge and block, and blocking those blows hurt. When Ryuu's fist finally connected, it sent Io's head reeling, and a rush of panic shot him through him.

"Io are you-" His words were broken off when Io charged at hmi again, delivering a harsh blow to his stomach which sent the other boy flying into the wall. As he fell to the ground, Ryuu could hear Lust laughing at him. "Shut up, okay?!" He cried, glaring at the pink-haired demon. "You aren't helping!"

"Why would I help you?" Lust snickered as Ryuu dodged another kick to the wall, which left a footprint in the plaster. An opening appeared and as Ryuu flew in to land a hit, he stopped at the last second, instead pulling away, cursing under his breath.

"What's wrong? Scared?"

"As a matter of fact," Ryuu hissed through gritted teeth. "I am! I don't want to hurt him! He's my best-" He groaned with pain as a blow to the head sent him reeling, falling against the wall. He was cornered.

"Looks like I win!" Lust crowed. "Just as predicted!"

"No way!" Ryuu replied, raising his voice. "No way! I won't hurt him! And I know Io won't hurt me either! No matter how much you think you control him!" It took everything Ryuu had to stay standing, to keep glaring defiantly at the demon, even as Io raised fist after fist. "This is nothing! It doesn't hurt at all! It's impossible for you to win! You have no friends, how could you understand the bond we have?!" His voice softened and he looked at his friend, slowly lowering his arms.

"Io…" He whispered, smiling. He waited until Io had both arms raised before darting forward, wrapping his arms tightly around his best friend. He could feel Io begin to struggle in his grip, punching his back and kicking his legs. But he held on as if his life depended on it. "Io, I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. Whatever that asshole said, it's okay. Don't keep it to yourself, you know I'll listen to anything you tell me, no matter how bad. You know I'll always be there for you. You're better than this. Than him." As Ryuu hugged tighter, he felt a hand connect with his neck, sending spikes of pain through his back. But he didn't let go of Io, even as his vision started to go blurry.

"You're my best friend, Io." He said softly. "I need you." When Ryuu couldn't feel anything hitting him anymore, he thought, for a split second, that maybe Io hit something that shouldn't have been hit and now he had spinal damage. And then he heard a familiar voice, sounding confused and scared.

"Ryuu…?" He pulled back to see that Io's eyes were their normal light gray, holding the same tenderness for him that they always had. Ryuu had never felt more relieved in his whole life. He couldn't help it as tears began to spill from his eyes, a wide grin breaking across his face.

"Io…" And then Ryuu's world tilted and faded black.

…

Io felt like he had just woken from a really long nightmare. He was utterly confused as to why Ryuu was hugging him and why the boy looked like he had been hit repeatedly with a sack of bricks. He watched his friend smile as if it was the easiest thing in the world, watched as he began to cry. Why he was crying was unknown to Io. It was only when Ryuu's transformation faded and he started to fall forward that Io broke out of his stupor. Lunging for him, he grabbed the unconscious boy just before he hit the ground, panic beginning to race through his mind.

"Oh, calm down." An all-too-familiar voice said from behind him, and his head spun to see Lust sitting in the windowsill, looking utterly bored. "He ain't dead."

"What did you do!" Io yelled.

"As I mentioned in your dream, it's what you did. I merely forced you to do it. Really, you Battle Lovers do love your fair share of drama. As promised, I'll remove the curse, though you probably won't understand that." Lust snapped his fingers and pain shot through Io's arm, white-hot flares echoing through his shoulders. As he winced, a large black orb emerged from his arm and floated into Lust's waiting hands. Ignoring the confused look on Io's face, Lust continued. "That had to be the most disgusting display of friendly affection I've ever seen. Give me sex over that any day. I'm afraid this will be one of our last meetings though. My brother will be here any moment to-"

A flash of light and another man was standing in the room. Well, a boy. He had pink hair as well, but it was more of a bubble gum color, spiking out on both sides. His eyes were wide and light pink, a cheeky grin flashing across his face when he saw Lust.

"There you are!" He said happily, walking over to his brother. His black leather jacket shifted to reveal a skimpy black tank top underneath it, a black collar with a pink buckle fastened around his neck. "Master says you're in trouble for running off again!"

"Not my fault, they summoned me!"

"You could've denied it!"

"That's not how I roll, stupid!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" The boy glanced over to Io and Ryuu and grinned. "You'll be playing with me next. I hope we'll get along well!" And with that, the two boys disappeared, leaving Ryuu's room a mess and one very confused boy sitting in the middle of the floor.

"What the hell…" Io muttered. His attention was snapped back to Ryuu when the boy shifted in Io's arms, his brown eyes slowly flickering open.

"Io…" He whispered. "You're okay."

"But you aren't! This is why I avoided you, I didn't want to hurt you! And I still did. I'm a failure as a friend."

"No you're not. It's not your fault. Besides, I'm fine! Well, I will be. Nothing can keep ore-sama down for long!" Io smiled at Ryuu's familiar boasting, before frowning again.

"I'm sorry…" He looked up when he felt a hand on his cheek, wiping at something. As Io realized he was crying, Ryuu smiled up at him, a gentle expression on his face.

"It's okay. I'm okay. You're okay. It's all okay. Okay?" It took Io a moment, but he managed to smile back.

"Yeah. Okay."

"Good! Now I know you were asleep for a long time, but I am really tired right now, it's like midnight." Ryuu stood, walking over to his bed and climbing in. "Can we go to sleep?"

"Oh yeah. Wait, why am I at your house?"

"That's a long story, one I'll tell you tomorrow. For now," he lifted the covers, patting the bed next to him. "Let's sleep, yeah?" Ignoring the fire igniting on his cheeks, Io nodded in agreement. Climbing in next to him, he lay still, and, surprisingly, as asleep before Ryuu. As he listened to his friend snore, Ryuu sighed, smiling up at the ceiling.

"I wonder when I should tell him?" Ryuu blushed as he remembered part of what he read.

_The only way for the curse to truly be broken is for the victim's love to be reciprocated._


	7. Hiatus Warning

**Attention readers!**

**I've started a massive fanfiction about a South Park AU recently, and I don't see it being done any time soon. However, it will take up almost all my free time!**

**Now this doesn't mean I'm quitting the fic, okay? The updates will just be really slow!**

**I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but please be patient with me!**

**-SilverIvy**


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